Interrogation
by softer
Summary: An argument gets rather...heated, and of course, one thing leads to another.
1. Interrogation Room 3

**A/N A one-shot, I think, unless people like this enough to continue. I just couldn't get the scene out of my head! This is my first fic ever, so please please review, and if you care to see the story go further, please let me know, and suggestions are welcomed!! There are POV changes, I hope I've made them clear so no one gets confused!**

**I don't know what a beta is, let alone have one, so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. I do not own Castle or any of it's characters.**

They were fighting. Again. It was like it never ended with them- it was like they fought just to fight.

Castle would be lying if he said he didn't find her incredibly hot when she was angry, or that pressing her buttons wasn't becoming one of his favorite hobbies, but this time, his motives were pure.

Lanie watched the two bicker day in and day out, but as of late, it had grown worse. Beckett would raise her voice, Castle would get in her face, and half the time they ended up in the nearest empty interrogation room, where they could battle it out at full volume. Her diagnosis? She thought, as she watched Kate grab Castle's arm and drag him in to interview room number 3. She had it coined as sexual frustration the second she saw the two together. _But do they listen to me? Nooooooo._ Lanie said to herself, bitterly. _Oh well. She will find out for herself the hard way soon enough._

* * *

Castle nearly pulled away in shock when Beckett reached out and grabbed his arm, dragging him forcefully in to the nearest room. She pushed him with the same brutality in to a chair and he heard the door slam shut. "You are an arrogant, immature child!" She yelled at him, running a hand through her hair as she turned around to face him. The steel table that adorned every interrogation room stood between them, and Castle was struck by the sudden notion that she was grilling him. Well, she was. It was a frightening thought, being on the receiving end of this. He found he liked it much better on the other side of the table, next to Beckett, with Beckett. Not against her.

"Don't talk to me like I'm one of your suspects, Beckett, because I've seen those gross, slimy perverts and I'd rather not be grouped with them," he told her, struggling admirably to keep his voice at a normal level.

Beckett, on the other hand, was tired of keeping her feelings bottled up. "Well try not acting like one, Castle. That's all you've been today! Show up late, spill coffee, make sex jokes, watch me fill out some paperwork, make sex jokes, flirt with the witness, make sex jokes, maybe occasionally paint a pretty story semi-related to the case, make-" She was cut off by the abrupt sound of steel chair legs scrapping against the floor, Castle now standing, his face inches from hers.

"Don't pretend like you're any better than me," There was no more holding back. The hell with sticks and stones. "You poke right back, so don't act like you're some saint whose been cursed with the presence of me."

Was it her, or did he get a lot taller? The anger in his face, now that she was so close she could see it, was draining, and it seemed she was going to win on default, but she was still hot on the matter, and she wasn't about to start showing mercy now. "You can be a real bastard, sometimes, you know that?" She asked, not backing down.

"You are a hard-headed woman detective. You're so hell-bent on proving my theories wrong that you are blind to the fact that they are plausible. Because it comes from me, it is ridiculous, because it's from me it doesn't hold a candle to you and your badge and your murder board," the more he spoke, the more he realized he was fighting a losing battle.

"Now you know that's not true, Castle, I have always been supportive of your ideas, however ludicrous they may be!" He scoffed, dramatically, and she took that as him comeback. "I cannot stand you!" Somehow, during their heated argument, their faces had grown closer, and Castle, in his angry pacing, had ended up on her side of the table. Well, what was normally their side, putting her between his solid body and the steel table. He didn't say a word, he didn't think he could. His anger was subsiding, he forgot what they were fighting about to begin with. She was so close. His propinquity ebbed at her anger, and little by little it drained out of her. "Are you as turned on as I am?" She asked him, the words slipping out of their own accord.

* * *

Ryan and Esposito sat in the bullpen, trying to concentrate on the murder board, the distracting ambience of Castle and Beckett's screaming match making it that more difficult. "Man, what I would pay to be a fly in the wall in that room," Ryan muttered to his friend, shaking his head, knowingly.

"Poor Castle," Esposito said. "Beckett's gonna fillet him alive in that box." This comment earned a snicker from Ryan, and they both enjoyed the joke until there was a sudden lull emitting from the interrogation room. It was a long, heavy silence, a still that caused both men to turn around, eyeing the closed blinds of the window suspiciously.

"You don't think she killed him, did you?" Ryan whispered, as if he were afraid someone would hear.

"Naw, bro, we would have heard a gunshot. Knowing Beckett and Castle, we probably would have heard multiple," Esposito reasoned. Ryan nodded.

"Then what could they be doing so quite in there?" The two shared a telling look.

* * *

The words escaped her lips without a warning, and without permission, but before she could recover, Castle's face was nearing hers, fast. She found herself not pulling away but leaning in, and their lips crashed in a passionate kiss. His lips worked feverishly on hers and she felt herself pushing right back, her deft hands grabbing on to his jacket lapels and pulling him impossibly close. Why wasn't her body listening to her? His tongue traced her bottom lip and she opened her mouth immediately, granting him an all access pass. Their tongues dueled, battled for dominance, not unlike but far more intimate then the verbal sparring match they'd just ended. Her perfect body was pressed up against his completely, her arms moving from his jacket to his neck to his hair, tugging and teasing at the brown locks. He let his hands wander as far as he dare, around her waist, up her side, her arms, until finally resting on her face, pulling her closer to him. Their wild attack on each other slowed, fire still searing through her with every gentle kiss. She softened in his arms and let him hold her up a moment, reveling in the feel of his lips on hers. Now the kisses were deep and long, and soon, she needed to pull away, if not only for air. They broke apart, reluctantly, sucking in oxygen, their faces both red and lips swollen. She looked at him, uncertain of how she should feel, and he looked back, grinning not only on his face but in his eyes, too.

"That was…" She began, her voice a little shaky, completely lost for words.

"Wow," he finished for her, equally as stumped. It was his turn to catch her eye, uncertainty lurking in his own. She smiled, this time, one of the rare true smiles that reached all the way to her eyes, making them sparkle fantastically.

"Wow."

**If I do continue (I hope you can convince me!) The story will probably upgrade to M, so fair warning. If it does, it will be moved to the proper rating accordingly. :) Press the green box, you know you want to! :) --sof **


	2. About Before

**Wow. The reviews were astounding, so thank you very much. So astounding, that I got all inspired and wrote more! I know it's short, but I wanted it to end where it did, and I really wanted to get it up before I fell asleep. :) Hopefully the chapters will get longer. This chapter took an unexpected turn for the sweet, rather than steamy, but I promise, it will pick up the pace. Please, drop a line and let me know what you think, tell me what you love, what you hate, what you want to see more of ;D Enjoy!**

**About Before**

Beckett sat at her desk, attempting to complete the mountain of paperwork on her desk. Night was taking over and consequently the bullpen thinned out, only a few remaining to work by table lamp. Castle sat beside her in his chair, silently, patiently, sneaking glances at her. Why was he here? She asked herself. At first she was asking as it pertained to the current situation, but then she realized, why _was _he here? Ever? At all? It was her turn to sneak a sideways glance at him. He just sat, loyally and silently, the Castle she only ever saw when they were alone. He caught her staring and cocked his head to the side, curiously. "Something on your mind, detective?" he asked, his voice soft, as if he were afraid to shatter the peaceful quiet the nearly empty floor rest in. She smiled, abnormally calm about the situation.

'Something' would be an understatement. She bit back the snarky comment on the tip of her tongue and nodded, slowly, still staring in his eyes, intrigued. "Do you…want to talk about it?" he asked, carefully. It was as if he was not only concerned for the composure of the serene peace but for hers, as well. She contemplated that. Did she? Want to talk about it? Did she want to forget it happened at all? What exactly did happen?

The kissed. They kissed a lot. If it weren't for Castles self-control, they probably would have done much more than that. And she liked it. What happened? She asked herself again. And why do I want to do it again? She looked at Castle. She did. Want to do it again. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, opened it again, and out words poured. "I'm hungry," she said. What? She had a chance to say anything, anything at all, and that was the best she could come up with? She scolded herself. It was like her brain wires were frayed, and nothing it was saying was reaching the rest of her. She would have to consult Lanie about the probability of the medical mystery later, but for the time being, she had to rectify the confused look on Castle's face. "Want to grab some burgers?" The confused look disappeared and the smile she could only identify as his (no other adjective did it justice, really) replaced it. He grabbed his coat, hot on her heels as she slipped on her own and headed for the elevator.

They settled on a small diner nearby, slipping in to one of the red vinyl booths. The elevator was silent, the walk was silent, and now, as they sat across from each other, Castle, hiding behind the over-sized plastic menu he had set up like a fort, his foot ever so lightly on top of hers under the table, sneaking glances at her from various sides of his makeshift fortress. Beckett, curious, confused, and amused at his playful antics. He didn't lower the menu until the waitress took their orders and took it from him, leaving with the promise of two Swiss mushroom burgers and soda. "What are we doing?" he asked her, that curious look on his face again.

"Eating?" she responded, her answer coming out more of a question. She knew what he meant. He nodded, but she couldn't tell if he was going to accept that answer.

"Why?" The three year old that often assumed his body was starting to show himself.

"Because it's nearly midnight and neither of us has eaten since breakfast," she replied, still playing it dumb. Again, with the nodding.

"I'm sorry, about before," she almost didn't catch it, he said it so quietly. It was her turn to be confused, as well as curious. A small smirk formed on her face.

"Which part, Castle? The part where you called me a hard-headed woman, or the part where you made out with me in a room full of cameras?" The shocked look on Castle's face was priceless. He nodded, he was doing a lot of that.

"The first part?" it was he who was asking instead of answering, and her turn to nod.

"I'm sorry I called you a bastard," she said. The food had arrived, and she accepted her plate and cup, sipping at the caramel colored soda.

"You didn't call me a bastard," he told her, a little hurt. She shrugged.

"I was thinkin' it," she smiled, his only indication that she was kidding. She was kidding, right? The meal passed with little conversation after that, as they both enjoyed their burgers with simply the pleasure of the others company. "That was nice," she told him as they left the restaurant, wrapping an arm around the one he offered and leaning in to him a little. "Quiet. I didn't know you did quiet."

"I'm full of surprises, Detective," he told her. "Where am I taking you? Precinct? Home? Cab?" She thought about this a moment.

"Home," she decided. And they walked, draped in more silence, arm in arm, all 16 blocks to her apartment.

He stopped at the door step of her building. He had spent the whole walk deciding on what to say at this very moment, but as it unfolded in front of him, the speech escaped him. Kate Beckett stood before him, hair tied back lazily in a bun, stray strands framing her beautiful face, one arm tucked across her chest, nervously, biting her lip in that adorable way. And words chose this moment to escape him. The system of syllables, morphemes and phonemes, the structure of language and grammar and English- all his best friends until this point, possibly when he'd need them the most. "What…" he stopped, unhappy with the beginning. "We…" again. Beckett looked slightly amused at his befuddlement. "Whatever happened…Earlier, before, after, just now- I don't know what it means, or what it was. But I'd sure like for it to happen again," he tried, the words tasting odd in his mouth. Beckett's grin broadened, and she leaned in, a hand holding the back of his neck, lowering his mouth to hers in a short, sweet kiss. It lasted a mere moment, far too short in his opinion, but perfect for now. He mirrored her smile, happy with the conclusion of the evening. Then it dawned on him. "I don't just mean-" but she cut him off with another small peck.

"I know," she assured him. How she knew what he was going to say escaped him. Hell, he didn't even know what he was going to say, entirely. All he knew is it couldn't be a one-time thing with her. Not Beckett, not Kate. It had to be good, he had to make it good for them. And it was right there on her doorstep, as he watched her slip into her building, a lopsided grin on his face, that he promised to do just that.

**So? Good? Bad? More?**

**Anyone? Anyone? (Insert 80's film reference here)? **


	3. They Did, They Didn't

**Loving the reviews, keep them coming!! Now I know this is short, but hopefully I will have more up tonight! Its just the way its written, the words, the sentences, the chapters. They are short. But if things go my way, I will update frequently to make up for it! **

******They Did, They Didn't.**

Beckett arrived at the 12th precinct right on time the next morning. And by right on time, of course, she was there a good 45 minutes early. She sat down at her desk, trying to ignore the paperwork that went forgotten and unfinished the night before. The night before. She smiled at the thought. She was afraid, yes. God, she was scared as hell. She thought about yesterday, played out the events in her head, the kiss, the diner, the walk. All of it. "What are you smiling about?" Esposito had walked in, setting down his belongings at his desk. She snapped out of her reverie, blushing slightly, caught in the act of…of what? Remembering? The thought was laughable. What would Esposito think? Or Ryan, for that matter? Would they find out? Would she tell them? No. Oh, God, no. If it got around that she and him…that he and she….that _they…_Oh no. She would lose any and all respect she worked so hard to earn, not to mention she would never hear the end of it from the boys. No, they couldn't find out.

Castle. He hadn't told anyone, had he? Oh God. This all seemed much simpler last night.

The second Castle arrived, she stood, making for the break room. He didn't understand but followed, his normal seat in her chair neglected. Once in the break room, he shut the door, ensuring they weren't overheard. "Good morning, Detective," he smiled at her. Despite her worry, she grinned back.

"Look Castle, we need to talk," she began, carefully, the smile gone. This worried him immensely.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No one can know. About…us. I'm just not ready for that," she stepped closer to him, afraid he would back away. He didn't.

"Alright," he said simply, relief washing over him.

"What? No angry outburst, no temper tantrum?"

"Kate," God he loved saying her name. "I don't want you to show you around like some sort of parade float. The fact that we are _us _is good enough for me. For now. But I'm willing to work at your pace and take whatever you give me." She smiled. There, again, was the sweet Castle that showed himself seldom. She wanted to hug him, but refrained.

"And I swear to God if you so much as try to hold my hand at work I will break your arm off, do I make myself clear?" She threatened, a small smile returning to her lips.

"Ahh, there's the Beckett. You were scaring me with all that nice-y stuff. But Kate," he grabbed her arm gently as she began to walk away. "You need to know I told Alexis."

"She's your daughter, Castle, that's totally different. Alexis is one thing, the Press and the Precinct are another." He smiled and released her, drawing his arm to his chest dramatically, as if he feared for its safety. Beckett just made a face at him and left the break room, empty handed. She didn't realize her mistake until Castle set a coffee on her desk, plopping in to his normal chair. "Thanks," she said, smiling. She was glad they didn't fight. She accepted the drink and continued working, filing reports and papers that took all morning to complete.

Esposito eyed Beckett carefully, skillfully hidden behind his own pile of recyclables. She was acting weird. He turned to Castle. So was he. Yesterday, they had both left the interrogation room, Castle bullet-free and all extremities intact. They weren't smiling, but it was obvious Castle was trying not to. Nothing strange there, he told himself. Again, he looked from one to the other. No. They didn't. They were acting the same- him watching her, occasionally making small talk, teasing, giving, taking, coffee exchange. Nothing strange there, either. But _something_ was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there it was. He looked at Castle. No, they didn't. They couldn't have.

Castle was staring at her, Lanie saw it. Then again, she saw it every day. It was nothing odd, he watched her do paperwork all the time. But that look? It was laced with emotion, a new emotion. An emotion he no doubt always felt but didn't have permission to show. _He was showing her, _Lanie realized. Knowing her best friend, she didn't see it, but maybe she didn't need to? Lanie looked from one to the other and back again. Oh no. Oh _hell _no. Lanie stood abruptly from she and Ryan's conversation, marching right over to Beckett. She lifted the surprised woman up by the arm, dragging her in to the break room.

Kate let out a small yelp of surprise and out of shock let her friend lead her away. She was led to the break room, where she was released and the door was shut. "Now I know how Castle feels," she mumbled, taking her arm back and holding it, protectively.

"You slept with him," Lanie stated, crossing her arms. It wasn't a question.

"No!" Kate said, taken back. Lanie was always forthright, but it never ceased to amaze her. Lanie just pursed her lips, not convinced. "I didn't!"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Lanie, I promise you, I didn't sleep with him," at her calm, almost amused tone, Lanie softened.

"Then what's with the eye sex in the bullpen?"

"Well…" She saw no way out of the current situation.

"Girl, Ima smack you if you don't come out with it."

"We did make out a little," Kate tried to play it like it was no big deal, but the gravity did not escape her friend.

"Excuse me, ma'am?!" Lanie exclaimed, her crossed arms dropping to her sides. "Made out a little?"

"A lot," Kate corrected.

"A lot," Lanie repeated, dumbly. After a moments silence and a precursory examination of her friends visible emotional state: "And you're okay with that?" Kate nodded, a small smile betraying her.

"A lot with the promise of more in the future," she clarified.

"And you were going to tell me…when exactly?"

Kate emerged from the break room, Lanie behind her. Lanie shot Castle, who was waiting patiently for his muses return, a look before headed off to her lab. Castle, confused, looked to Beckett, who had sat down beside him. He didn't speak, but waited for her. Taking sudden interest in the scratches on the wood of her desk, she spoke, not looking up.

"No one but Lanie can know."

**Funny? Cute? Totally off base? Let me know! **


	4. Their Corner of the World

**A/N: I am about to sound like a broken record, but WOW! The reviews are very motivating, I'm loving them! Hopefully this meets your expectations! Smut past this note, just warning you. lots of it. I'm kind of awkward with the physical stuff, so if any of you wise fictioneers have any advice about how to make it better, I would appreciate your wisdom immensely. Hope the chapter doesn't disappoint! Enjoy!**

**(The lines are a sort of POV change, I hope it makes sense. That reminds me-how do you guys feel about the secondary characters POV? love 'em? Hate 'em? Drop me a line.)**

**Their Corner of the World**

It happened again. This time, Kate's brain conspired with her body and they made up the plan all by themselves, leaving her helpless. So much for the brain wires hypothesis. She was sitting at her desk, Castle, as always, beside her. His knee was up against hers. To onlookers it was nothing, she didn't exactly have the largest desk in the world, but to them it was a big gamble. Castle loved to push her, to see how long she'd let him stay there, to test how many times he could brush his arm against hers without she or anyone else noticing. It was like a game. And however annoyed she pretended to be, he could tell she enjoyed it, too. She smiled, ducking her head to hide it, staring at their legs, touching lightly. She wanted to reach out and rest a hand on his, but stopped herself. This no-affection at work hardly worked when they hated each other, whatever made her think it would work now? Instead she kept her hands to herself and bumped his foot with hers, ever so gently. She stood, suddenly, causing confusion to cloud his face. She told him with her eyes to follow. "I'm going for subs, anyone want anything?" She called out to the entire bullpen.

* * *

Ryan looked up at his bosses voice. She and Castle were working, quietly, off in their own little world, when she stood abruptly. "I'm going for subs, anyone want anything?" she asked to the whole floor. There were many head shakes, but he nodded.

"A meatball for me, and Espo wants…" He looked at his partner.

"Same," he said, shrugging, indifferent. Ryan reached over and handed Beckett a ten dollar note.

"There are so many places I could go with that," Castle smirked over her shoulder at the two, a grin short lived, for Beckett smacked his arm.

"Play nice," she said, leading him away. "Be back in a bit!" she called behind her. Ryan looked at Esposito as they left, and the two shared a knowing look. So they were going to play it cool, hmm? The men knew, of course, Ryan was pretty sure the whole precinct did, even the captain alluded to the knowledge, but they weren't going to say anything, not yet. Instead they hid the information away, somewhere deep enough to bury but easy enough to find, if need be. Yes, this would come in handy someday.

* * *

The elevator doors closed with a ding, and as soon as they did, she wheeled around on her heal again to face him. He smiled at her, unsure of what was to come. She didn't look angry. That was either very good or very, very bad.

"Can we go out tonight?" she asked, almost shyly, catching him totally off-guard.

"Of course," he loved how coy she could get sometimes. "Name the place." But the elevator doors opened before she could answer.

Simple. That's what she was. So simple. He loved her for it. She didn't need much, he realized, in fact, it was a challenge to give to her, sometimes. He offered her anything in the world, she could go anywhere for a night, and she chose the diner. "I like it here," she defended, when he teased her on her choice. He just shook his head and slid into his side of their normal booth, ordering without even glancing at the menu. She did the same, and the waitress, a recurring character the past few evenings, took them, smiling at the two.

She saw them, every few days. Sometimes they were with others, there was two other detectives, one was really cute and tipped well. She had seen him, there, too, with his daughter. But they had been coming alone, lately. She smiled to herself. The night shift was an uneventful one, and to pass the boring bouts, she would make up stories for her customers. These two were her favorite story. They sat at the same booth every time, in company or not. She saw the way he looked at her, even when it looked like they were arguing. She found them just adorable. Tonight, the second night in a row, her story was slowly piecing together. She poured two coffees, still smiling as she saw the two, talking in hushed voices in their little corner of the world.

* * *

Kate found herself laughing, harder than she had in forever. He had that effect on her- she always felt the urge to laugh. Most of the time she suppressed the impulse, but now, here, just the two of them, she felt no need to. After hearing her, so open and unguarded with her happiness, Castle made it his life's new mission to make her do it more often. They ate, sharing brief words but mostly just silently, once again enjoying each other's company. This is not how she imagined this. She wasn't disappointed. No, not in the least, she just wasn't expecting it. She imagined them a lot…messier? Louder? She didn't know, exactly. Just not this. Quiet dinners, walks, loaded looks, elevator rides. It was nice. There was plenty of time for loud and messy later. She let him walk her home, and this time, in to her building, up to her floor. They got closer and closer to her apartment door and she didn't know how far she was going to let him walk her. She didn't know if she would stop him at all. Did she want to? No. Did he want to? She couldn't tell.

Indeed, he stopped just short of her door. "Kate…" He really did love saying her name. "Kate."

"What?" She asked, when he said her name again.

"Oh, I just like the way your name tastes. Kate," she nudged his shoulder, a smile tugging at her lips. He caught her stare, moving in, and the smile evaporated as he covered her lips with his. They moved, slowly at first. Tenderly. She opened her mouth a little, an unmistakable invitation, and he accepted it, pulling her closer. The embrace grew heated and she found herself pressed up against the closed door of her apartment, his body flush against hers in all the right ways. She tugged at his shirt, his sleeve, his hair, anything she could reach. One of his arms remained wrapped securely around her waist while the other made its way to her neck. He moved his mouth down her jaw line, back to her ear, down farther until he found it. Her pulse beat wildly beneath his mouth, and she gasped as he nipped at her, lightly. She could feel him smiling, proud of his accomplishment.

"Let me," she struggled blindly to find the doorknob, trying desperately to get her key in and open it. He released her so that she could open it, using his arm to prop himself up on the doorframe, breathless. She finally succeeded in unlocking the door and threw it open, nodding to inside. "Do you want to come in? Get a drink or something?" She tried to keep the hope out of her voice. If she was doubting her wants before, there was no doubting now.

Something would be an understatement. To her surprise, he shook his head. "No," he told her, still catching his breath. She looked at him, questioningly. He was completely unkempt. The neat and tidy Castle that stood before her a few minutes ago was replaced by post-body-ravaging Castle- His navy blue shirt was un-tucked, the first few buttons lost never to be found again and his hair was sticking up at odd angles. _It was kind of hot,_ Kate thought. "I am going to go home," he told her, trying to comb his hair in to a more natural direction with his fingers.

"Why?" She asked, curiously. She wasn't offended, she wasn't upset, she wasn't disappointed. She was curious, though. Okay, maybe she was a little disappointed. A lot. A lot disappointed. But mostly curious. She had imagined the great white whale would jump at the first chance he got to get in her apartment. But the grown-up that had been supposing his body as of late was changing her view of the man. He just grinned, making his way down her hall, back to the elevator.

"Not yet," he told her, still grinning like a schoolboy. She couldn't help but mirror the expression. He looked ridiculous. She imagined him trying to get past Martha without being noticed, and her smile broadened. "G'night, Kate."

"Night, Castle."

* * *

**So? What did you think? The button's bellow! :D**


	5. From Russia, With Love

**Note: I was going to wait to post this, but I don't know if I can. I think this story is going to have to endure joint custody between Hot and Steamy and Cute, because they are both so much fun to write. This is the longest one yet, but there was just so much to say! Please review, let me know if it was good, if it was bad, should I give up now and try something new...Until then, though, From Russia, With Love:**

**From Russia, With Love**

Kate Beckett was a control freak. She wasn't in denial about it, either. She **was **a control freak. So when she agreed to a Castle family night, she considered it a huge relinquishing of power. A night all alone with Castle and Castle junior and Castle senior? That was a good 87 miles out of her comfort zone. At least. Yet she found herself excited. She had been over his place too many times to count, but this would be…different. And Alexis knew, so Martha probably knew. Would they treat her differently? She hoped not.

She arrived right on time, the door swinging open to reveal his huge apartment, the pleasant smell of food cooking assaulting her senses. Castle himself stood before her, grinning ear to ear. "Detective," he greeted. Why he always called her that, it was unclear to her.

"Castle," she said back, stepping into his home.

"Rick. Richard. Ricky. They all work. I left Castle at the precinct," he corrected, a kind smile reaching his eyes.

"Ricky?"

"Okay, the last one was a joke," he admitted, the name sounding weird from her lips. "Please, come in," he said, after a brief moment of silent smiling. He led her further in to his place, indicating to the couch. "Make yourself at home, dinner should be ready any minute, I just have to add the final touches," he grinned a mischievous smile as he disappeared into the kitchen. Martha strolled into view, spotting her instantly.

"Detective Beckett!" She greeted in her normal, cheery voice. "How nice to see you here. He didn't have to force you this time, did he?" she asked, looking at her seriously. Kate just laughed.

"No," she managed.

"Yes, well, like he could force you to do anything," Martha exclaimed, with a wave of her hand. "Sadly, I'm going out for the evening, but I promise, I won't be home before midnight!"

"Mother!" Rick walked in on the scene, having heard his Mother's voice from the kitchen. He had a large wooden spoon in one hand and a towel draped over the opposite shoulder, the look complete with a pink apron. Kate had to stifle a laugh at the sight and made a mental note to tease him about it later. "You're not going to stay?"

"Well I'm sorry, Richard, I can't revolve my schedule around your plans," she stated. Her son pouted.

"But I made the sauce with wine, just for you," he said in jest. Martha smacked his arm lightly, and he pretended to cower away before returning to give her a peck on the cheek. "Go, have fun," he told his mother, who hurried off to the door. "Not too much fun!" The sound of the door shutting was his only response, to which he sighed. Defeat. Kate just watched, amused at the interaction. He mothered his mother and is daughter mothered him. It was confusing, but it seemed to work for the family. She nodded towards the apron he wore.

"How very domestic, Castle," she grinned, mischievously. He returned it, doing a sexy runway walk for her. She burst into laughter.

"Really? You like?" he asked her, whipping around to look her over the shoulder, hand (and spoon) on his hip. She couldn't help the laughter that washed over her.

"The pink really brings out the color in your eyes," she assured him.

"I will be back, the stove is still on," and with that, and an extra twirl for her benefit, he disappeared into the kitchen once again.

Kate sat, looking around in wonder. She let her eyes wander, taking time to take in every little detail, when she got stuck on one photograph. It was father and child, at the MoMA. A five-year old Alexis was sitting atop her father's broad shoulders, his arms holding on to her legs, tightly, while the small child clung to his head with both arms for dear life. It was an adorable picture, she decided. Castle was right, he was full of surprises. The creaking of a wooden floorboard jerked her out of her thoughts, and the present day Alexis was before her, creeping stealth-like across the living room, to the entertainment center. She looked at Kate, holding a finger to her lips. Kate obliged, not saying a word but looking at the child, confused.

Alexis sat down by the TV cabinet, opening the doors and shuffling its contents. She pulled out a few DVD's, isolated a good handful, and turned to Kate. A raised eyebrow was all the question Kate asked. "I'm hiding the James Bond movies," Alexis informed her in a hurried whisper. "Otherwise we will end up watching 'From Russia with Love,' with commentary from Rick Castle himself," she explained. Kate just smiled at the girl. The redhead tucked the pile of films in to her sweater and disappeared up the steps. As much as she and her father were different, they were very much the same. In the ways that counted, anyways. Rick reappeared just then, setting down a plate of spaghetti and a glass of milk for her, leaving and returning with two more for he and Alexis.

"Lex? Dinner!" He called up the stairs. A moment later, the redhead joined them. "Who's picking the movie? Kate do you want to?" She shook her head.

"No, let Alexis. I trust her," Alexis smiled at the detective, receiving a wink in return.

"Sherlock Holmes it is," she announced, hopping up to turn on the newest rendition of the classic novel. The couch was big enough for all three of them, Kate, Alexis, and Rick in-between them. Half way through the film, empty plates and used silverware cluttered the coffee table. Rick had both arms across the back of the sofa, cradling a sleepy Alexis on one side and Kate on the other.

Alexis, despite her interest in the film, caught herself dozing off, her Dad's stomach becoming her new pillow. She snuggled into the soft grey cotton of his shirt. He always let her sleep on him. When she was little, it was expected, but the fact that he didn't complain, the fact that he combed her hair with his hands to lure her further into sleeps desperate grasp, even when she was nearing sixteen…it was sweet. She opened one eye to stare up at him, and Detective Beckett beside him. _It was about damn time_, she thought to herself. She liked Kate, of that she was sure. She was good for her Father. Kept him grounded. He, she thought, was good for her, too. She didn't know the woman that well, only what she gathered from her dad and the small get-togethers they had sometimes, but she liked to think he was a good influence on her. She watched through slanted lids as the Detective sank, slowly, into Rick's other side, his arm encircling her shoulders snuggly. Yes, she decided. They were good for each other.

At the movies end, Alexis stood, reluctant to leave the warmth of the body cradling her, mumbling some 'I love you,' to her Father, a 'good night' to Kate, and stumbled off to bed, leaving the couple alone. Rick stared down at Kate. Down, because somewhere around the first hour of the film, she started to sink into his arms, resting there in that nook his body formed for her. It was amazing how perfectly she fit right there, he thought. As if it was made specifically with her in mind. He smiled at the sight. She sighed, a happy kind of sigh, not wanting to move from his side. The lights were still off, yes, and neither of them had any desire to move an inch.

"Want to watch it again?" he whispered into her hair. She nodded against his chest. He smiled, grabbing the remote and pressing play. The green rating screen appeared and Kate could already feel the soft tug of slumber pulling her under. She made it all the way to the opening sequence before she gave in.

Martha crept into the apartment around one in the morning, opening and shutting the front door without a sound. The whole apartment was cloaked in black, all but the TV's glow, emitting a perfect luminance on the couch and it's inhabitants. Her son lay, stretched out along the entire length of the sofa, and beside him, the lovely Kate Beckett. She smiled inwardly at the sight. For a moment she was distracted by Robert Downey Jr., who was kicking all kinds of ass on the screen, but she snapped back to the couple, snoozing in the living room. A soft snore emitted from the couch, and it was much to feminine to be her sons. Again she smiled. It was good to see him happy again.

When Beckett woke it was still dark. The hours her job demanded left a permanent imprint on her biological functioning, and she found herself rising at four or five in the morning without fail, alarm or not. This was not familiar. This was not her bed, this was not her home- that was definitely not her arm draped across her waist. It was then, after a brief moment of panic, the evens of the evening sank in.

Castle. Rick. Dinner, movie, Alexis. She had fallen asleep here.

She was horizontal, stuck snugly between Castle and the back of the couch, his arm slung across her, holding her close. She immediately relaxed as the realization dawned on her. The tickle of her partners every exhale was hot on the back of her neck, and she was struck by the life of the man that was wrapped around her. There was no sex. There were no expectations. She was happy to be right there. But she did have work, and she needed a shower. "Rick," she nudged him. "Ricky," she said again, accompanying her sing-song-y voice with another, more forceful nudge.

"Mustshafash," he mumbled, incoherently, his cute sleepy babble making Kate laugh despite her hurry. She rolled around to face him, no easy task on the narrow couch, looking up at him.

"Rick, get up," she said again. She wanted him to get up. Part of her did, at least. But he was so damn cute when he was asleep. She stopped shaking him a moment to admire his features. He really was handsome. After a few moments, his eyes blinked open, wearily.

"Are you watching me sleep, Detective?" he mumbled. He was pleased to no end to find her there, the first thing he saw. He could get used to that.

"Maybe," she said, pursing her lips to keep from smiling.

"It's kind of creepy."

"Yea, well now you know how I feel. Get up, I have to go to work," she demanded. Her sleep had worn off quickly, another hazard of her occupation, and she was ready to be awake.

"Why? It's still dark, the rest of the world is asleep."

"Ah, that's where your wrong Castle. This city never sleeps. More specifically, this cities criminals."

"Touché," Castle said, knowing when to admit defeat. He dragged himself off the couch, allowing her to rise as well before dropping back down on it, sitting this time. She stood, searching for her coat and shoes in the dark. "Kate?" He asked her black shadow. She paused in her hunt.

"Rick," she made her way back to the couch, sitting down next to him. He looked adorable, his whole body enveloped in the comforter that covered them a minute ago, a small hole in the top for his head. "This is not me running." She promised, kissing him on the forehead. "I just have to go to work." She caught his eye, no easy feat in the dark. "I will see you at the precinct?"

Castle nodded, still wrapped in his cocoon. She kissed him one last time on the lips before rising, locating her shoes and coat, and heading to the door. "See you in a bit," he assured her.

"Yes you will," she guaranteed.

**Press the button--it means the world to me :)**


	6. This

**Oh no, I fear I may have set the bar ridiculously high on update speed…**

**I promise to try really super hard to keep it up, but spring break is over come Monday, and so the cycle begins…Just warning you. I will still write as much as possible!**

'**This'**

Kate had him pinned underneath her. They were on his couch, making out like teenagers. It must have been the third or fourth time that week. It was passionate- it always was, but this time more so, it seemed. She totally jumped him, kissing him, hungrily, anywhere and everywhere she could reach. He didn't exactly fight her, smiling into her frantic kisses as he relished the feeling of her on top of him. She unbuttoned his shirt so fast, he didn't even notice until she was pushing it back on his shoulders. That's when he grabbed her wandering hands in his. "Kate," she didn't stop with her mouth, sucking on his collar bone lightly. "Kate," he said again. She stopped, sitting up straight. Her legs were still straddling his waist, and he took the opportunity to take her in. She was gorgeous, even in her disheveled state. The first few buttons on her shirt were undone, the long sleeves rolled up haphazardly, her cheeks flushed. She was so cute. She sighed, frustrated. Cute. "Alexis is going to walk in on us again," he warned, the grin still on his face.

"Alexis is at school for the next hour and a half, Castle," she told him, annoyance slipping into her voice.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked her, the smile fading. She chewed on her lip, debating on whether or not to tell him. He seemed to sense that. "Tell me," he coaxed, rubbing a thumb on the small sliver of bare skin the hem of her shirt revealed.

Why did he have to be so damn _sweet? _Kate asked herself, silently. Then, out loud: "Why won't you sleep with me?" she asked. The question totally caught him off guard, but he was quick to recover.

"Really? That's why you're upset?" she crossed her arms, clearly not finding it as humorous as he did.

"Before all _this _happened, you couldn't wait to get me in bed, and now-" she was waving her arms around dramatically, when he caught her wrists in his, gently.

"Kate," he would never tire of her name. "I can't believe we're having this conversation while I lay half naked on my back," he muttered, but she pretended not to hear. "I haven't slept with you because the '_this' _you exclaim so passionately about is important to me. I don't want to mess 'this' up."

"You can't be _that _bad," she teased, a wave of relief washing over him. Teasing was good. He smiled.

"You know that's not what I mean. I want things to be special. You deserve that," he said, and her eyes told him he was correct. "Let me take you out tomorrow night," he asked. Said, more like.

"Alright."

"No, I mean let me take you _out. _Not the diner, not to Remey's," he clarified.

"Like a date?" she asked, her turn to be taken back. She climbed off of him, slowly, so she was sitting beside him. He sat up, buttoning up his shirt.

"The MoMA has this new Tim Burton's exhibit, Alexis has been dying to go," he told her, looking down, taking a sudden infatuation with the thread count of his jeans. For the first time since the seventh grade, he was getting tongue-tied talking to a woman. "It would be a lot of fun?" It came out as a question.

Kate smiled at him. She was doing a lot of that, lately, she noticed. She looked up at the picture of Alexis and Rick at the museum, a warmth flooding her heart. A date wouldn't be so bad. He noticed her staring at the picture. "That picture is a horrible representation of the moment," he commented. He wanted to share this with her. She looked at him, questioningly. "The second after that picture, Alexis threw her hands up. Free as a bird, she was, even as a child. Didn't have a care in the world. It was me clinging onto her for dear life, not the other way around." Kate stared at him a long moment. He was sucked into the picture, into the memory, and she let him stay there a minute before she spoke.

"Tim Burton?"

The simple question was enough to bring a fresh goofy grin, with every affection behind it back on his face. "Yeah. Alexis said that they have a ton of his original sketches, sculptures, films, the whole shebang. She even mentioned the _actual _Edward Sissorhands costume…" A moment ago the words refused to come in the right order, and now they were flowing freely, with no apparent end.

"So you, Alexis…and I?" She asked, still contemplating the idea. He nodded.

"Dinner before hand, MoMA after?" He found it impossible to keep the hope out of his voice. She nodded. A date wouldn't be bad.

* * *

"Girl, do you own a dress?" Lanie's muffled voice sounded from the deep dark depths of Kate Beckett's closet. Kate sat on her bed, watching.

"Of course I do, there must be a hundred back there," she said back. At the single mention of her date, Lanie insisted on coming right over, and did just that, arriving at her place in record time. Her head of curls poked out from the closets shadow-y interior.

"Nuh-uh, honey, high school homecoming dresses and that awful floral monstrosity do not count as dresses," she said. "Not to mention that glittery thing I'm pretending I didn't see."

"Well, lucky for me, it's not that formal. It's a museum, not a benefit or a showcase or anything like that. A public museum."

"That doesn't mean you can't look hot," Lanie reasoned.

"And I will- it jeans and a tee-shirt," Lanie rolled her eyes at this.

"I swear if you break out that brown jacket, I _will_ smack you," she threatened, eying her friend.

"I like my brown jacket! It's comfortable!"

* * *

**How do we feel about this? I couldn't resist putting Lanie in here again, I have a feeling she's going to be making some more scenes as well- she's just so much fun to write! As for the Tim Burton exhibit at the Museum of Modern Arts- it's a thing, it's amazing, and yes, I actually saw the Edward Sissorhands costume. Anyone goes to New York City, you must go see, it's **_**kind **_**of amazing. The button's below—you should press it and see what happens :D**


	7. Let Them See

**The reviews once again, are so very encouraging. I promise, Rick and Kate **_**will**_** do**_** it**_** eventually. I'm not trying to torture you, they are just not ready. It's like eating a peach before it's ripe. Not as sweet.**

**Okay, wow, please pardon that ridiculously lame analogy and Enjoy!**

**Let Them See**

Kate was in her bedroom, tying the belt on the red pea coat she and Lanie had settled on. It was cute, and could pass as semi-formal if need be. She eyed the leather sleeve of her brown coat, sticking out of her closet. No. She couldn't. Lanie would _kill _her. So she shoved the coat farther into her closet and out of temptation, once again fighting with the coat. It just wouldn't lay right. She gave up hope, refocusing her frustration on her hair. Lanie did it up all nice, a few strands pulled from the bun tactically to frame her face. Just as she was tugging at a few strands, totally annoyed with herself, a knock sounded at the door. Her eyes darted from herself in the mirror to the clock. It was five after seven. Shit. He was on time. Was he ever on time before? She doubted it, highly. She gave up on her hair altogether, dropping her arms and huffing in defeat. She made her way to the door, swinging it open to reveal Rick. He was dressed equally as casual, jeans and one of his usual button ups. Tonight's was a dark blue. He looked incredibly handsome, and she doubted he even tried. She smiled at the sight of him. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied, still smiling like a fool. She cursed herself inwardly. '_Hey? That's the best you can do?' _"Come on in, I just gotta get my purse," he nodded to the inside of her apartment. He stepped in, cautiously, as if he were afraid a step too heavy might shatter the place. He watched as Kate hurried into a room and then back, purse in hand. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly her coat fit her. "Where is Alexis?" she asked, as he led her out.

"About that…" Rick grinned, mischievously. She smacked him arm.

"What?"

"She ditched us to go over Paige's for the night," he said, closing his eyes and leaning away a little, bracing himself for another hit. When none came, he opened one eye, carefully.

"She's too cool to be seen with us, that it?" she asked him. It was her way of saying it was okay. Sure, she was a little disappointed, but she had an evening alone with Rick, an upside she decided to focus on. They walked in silence for a while, neither speaking until they got in a cab. Rick read off some address, and the cabbie took off. "Where are we going?" Kate asked when he sat back, draping an arm around her. She leaned into his body a little, struck by the sudden urge to feel him beside her. He smiled when he felt it, familiar with the feeling himself.

"It's a surprise," he told her, matter-of-factly. She wanted to hit him for that.

"Tell me that, one more time. I dare you," she told him, seriously. He rubbed her arm with the hand around her shoulders, his grin never faltering.

"Tramonti's" he told her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Exactly," he said, making her smile again.

* * *

Tramonti's turned out to be a beautiful little Italian place tucked into West 46th street. It was very small and just adorable, Kate decided as she sat, draping her coat on the back of the wooden chair Rick pulled out for her. Always the gentleman. Besides the fact that it was hidden away from the world and low lit, it was actually Italian. Not like Olive Garden Italian, like straight up, need-to-learn-a-second-language-to-read-the-menu-Italian. The food, whatever it was, was absolutely fantastic. She let Rick order for her, only because she was unfamiliar with the dishes. The seats were placed, as was tradition for tables for two, across from each other, but Rick didn't last five minutes before he missed her, so he scooted his seat right up beside hers, locking a leg around one of her chairs legs. Kate just laughed at his antics. She should be annoyed. His hand was resting on hers on top of the table and their feet played footsies underneath, and anyone could see. But she swallowed any care she had. That's what this is about, she reminded herself.

* * *

The young waiter peeked out from the kitchen into the main dining hall. Richard Castle, he would recognize the man anywhere. He came in often, either with his daughter or alone. Never anyone else, though. No, this was a first. They were a couple, that much was obvious. If he hadn't rearranged the furniture to sit by her, the googley eyes he was giving her would have been enough to tell him as much. He smiled. She was beautiful, and he was obviously in love with her. He wondered to himself if she knew. He wondered if he even knew.

* * *

An hour or so later they were walking the few blocks to the MoMA. It wasn't a particularly long walk, but it wasn't short, either. They filled it with small talk and the occasional laughter. "I bet you the ladies love it when you take them there," she teased him, good naturedly. She didn't mean anything by it, but felt a small pang in her stomach anyways. He just smiled at her, nudging her to the side, playfully.

"Well, I don't know. I'm pretty sure Alexis has a crush on the waiter, but otherwise you will have to tell me."

"Can't say I blame her," she told him, the meaning of his answer not escaping her. "He was hot." Rick pretended to be wounded.

"How can I compete with the 20 year old with an accent?" he asked, pouting only slightly. Kate shook her head.

"Can't top the accent," she agreed, trying hard but failing to stop the smile from tugging at her lips.

"Hey!" he said, mock offended. "That wasn't what you were supposed to say!"

"What?" she looked up at him, leaning, tauntingly close. "You want me to tell you that you're the funniest, most handsome, good-looking man I've ever laid eyes on, and you don't need an accent to complete you?" The way she said that made him forget to speak for a moment- all he could do was stare at her lips. Was she wearing lipstick earlier?

"S-Something like that," he replied, shakily. She grinned. She loved the effect she could have on him. She backed down, wrapping an arm around his and resting her head in his shoulder. They walked in silence until they reached the museum, which was flooded with people.

The thick throng of people was so thick they were basically carried along the exhibit, trying to take in as much as they could. They had to stay close, arms interlocked, so they wouldn't get separated from each other by the busy crowd of tourists that swamped the place. Rick was pleased to know end whenever Kate let out an 'Oooh,' or an 'ahh,' and it was happening quite often. Halfway through the Monet exhibit, a floor with far less people and much more breathing room, he slipped his hand through hers, and, to his delight, she didn't pull away. They walked that way a long time, taking their time on each painting. Kate, he noticed, was particularly drawn to the wall of Monet's Water Lilies.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. They were close enough for murmuring. "French Impressionism is my favorite."

"I didn't know that," he murmured back into her ear.

"I'm full of surprises, she told him, smiling. She had been just waiting to use his own line against him. He smiled, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. She leaned farther into his side, not really caring that a whole room of people could see them. Let them see.

**OK! I'm truly sorry if Kate slips out of character in this one! How did you guys feel about it? Review and let me know!**

**So, next chapter should be up soon, but I can't promise anything, because school starts tomorrow. :/ Speaking of the next chapter, it will most definitely be rated M. Nothing nasty, I don't think, but we will have to see where these two take me. I will move the story, I'm just throwing this tidbit out there.**

**Press the button below. You know you want to do it.**


	8. Afterwards

**Ooooohhhkaayy. First of all, sooooo sorry it took so long to update, between school and my first M scene, I needed some time.**

** I am soooo nervous about this chapter. I have never written, done, or even almost sort of done anything M rated ever in my short, short life, and so this was my first time. My first fictional time. Please don't hate me if it sucks. Sex below this note, just warning you. If it isn't your thing, just skip this chapter. Please review- even if it's horrible, I need to know never to do it again. Seriously. Self-consciousness on a scale of 1 to 10 would be about 46. Maybe even a 47.5.**

**Afterwards**

Afterwards he walked her home. It was around ten when the MoMA closed and they were ushered out, ever so kindly, by one of the burly guards. The night was still young and neither of them were ready to give up each others' company, so they took the long way home, forgetting a cab and walking the however-many blocks.

Kate noticed they were walking towards Rick's building and away from hers.

She said nothing.

She let him hold her hand the whole time, something he noticed.  
He said nothing.

They arrived at his building, he stopped turning to face her. Was he going to shut her down again? The hungry look in his eyes spoke to the contrary, but would he really let her in? She couldn't tell. Finally, he spoke. "I have ice cream," he said. _What? _He asked himself, internally. _That was not what you were supposed to say._ "And one of those Bullet blender things that make the best shakes." He recovered. His brain had somehow been disconnected from his mouth, he decided. It was just going off with its own agenda.

He was tongue tied. She found it just adorable. She pretended to contemplate it a moment, letting him sweat it out a minute, before her reply came: "Chocolate or vanilla?" A relieved smile broke onto his face. Maybe his mouth knew what it was doing after all.

"Strawberry," his reply came. She returned the lopsided grin. He knew her too well.

In the elevator, he pulled her close, planting a chaste kiss on her lips. Well, what was supposed to be a chaste kiss. He lingered there a moment and she moved her lips. Only slightly, but it was enough to send a spark that ignited his whole chest, and driven by a conviction he could only call biological, he grabbed her by her waist, pulling her closer to him. She was taken aback but didn't object, tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Her arms found their way around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, her leg moving of its own accord upwards. He smiled, feeling its path to his hip, grabbing it before it could move any farther. The lift stopped with a ding on his floor and they stumbled out, still attached at the mouth. He used one hand to hold her against him and the other to guide him along the hall, not wanting to give up the feeling that was…Kate.

They stumbled to the door of his apartment, he fumbled with the keys. Dropped them. Twice. Recovered and forced the thick metal into the ridged slot, throwing open his door and staggering inside, walking backwards with Kate pressed up against him. They had hardly made it inside and Kate was already making sounds that made his head spin.

He was making her make those sounds. He liked it.

His nimble fingers made quick work of her coat and blouse underneath, and so the trail of clothes began. It started at the front door, where she lost her coat. A white blouse, a blue button up, two pairs of shoes, a belt, all made a train through the kitchen, to the living room. He sat her on the edge of the couch arm, fighting with her camisole. "Why do you wear so many damn clothes?" he muttered, rhetorically, desperate to get it off of her.

Desperate to see her.  
Desperate to see all of her.

She let out a light laugh, pushing him away just long enough to pull the tank top off herself, tossing it on the floor haphazardly. Another sock, and two pairs of jeans joined it in a puddle on the floor.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, nipping hungrily at him- his chest, his neck, his ear, his lips- anywhere she could reach, needing more. "I need more," she whispered.

_Did she say that out loud?_  
She didn't mean to say that out loud.

He heard her and responded, using his arm, tucked securely under her butt, to lift her. She was surprised, but pleasantly so, wrapping her legs tighter around him. "Where are we going?" She asked him, focusing her lips on that hollow spot where his Addams apple met his chest.

"Bedroom," he informed her, carrying her with surprising ease across the apartment. He made it to the bedroom, setting her down gently on the bed. She was taken aback at the sudden change of pace. He took a moment to stare her a moment, hovering over her bed where she lay, body extended beautifully. She made no move to cover herself, but bite her lip, nervously.

"Is there something wrong, Rick?" She asked. He shook his head. Cursed words refused to cooperate. She was so…radiant. Radiant didn't even do her justice. She was the one case in which adjective escaped him. There simply was no words.

"No words," he muttered.

_Did he say that out loud?  
_He didn't mean to say that out loud.

"What?" She let out another one of those light, musical laughs. "You're not going to hold out on me again, are you?" she asked, grabbing his arm and pulling him down to her. He shook his head. "Because-"

But she couldn't finish what he was sure was going to be a snarky comment, for his finger brushed against her lips, silencing her. She froze, eyes locked on that finger as it traced each one of her perfect pink lips, to her cheek, her chin, along her jaw line. It traveled, brushing only lightly, down her neck, along her clavicle, her shoulder. He pushed her back, lightly until her was laying on the bed beneath him. He hooked a thumb, still on her shoulder, around her bra strap and dragged it down, down, tortuously slow, until she was finally free of the garment. Again, with the lip biting. She was the most confident, secure woman he knew and she was nervous.

It was adorable.  
And downright sexy.

She ran her fingers over his chest, reveling at the feeling of his bare skin under her fingertips. His chest was not particularly muscular or chiseled or strapping, but it was perfect nonetheless. It was Rick. She was concentrating so hard on the movement of her small, lithe hands that she was shocked when she felt his mouth on her neck, following the path his finger took moments before. She stopped for a second to enjoy his ministrations, every kiss, lick and bite eliciting its own moan.

His hands did not stop, either. The continued downward, taking their time over her chest and navel. His pinky teased the hemline of her panties and she bucked into him involuntarily. She felt him smile. His mouth, following close behind, was soon tracing the same places. He moved slowly. Deliberately. He wanted to remember this, he wanted to remember her. He didn't want to rush things.

Slow wasn't really her thing. Kate enjoyed the fast-paced speed they moved before, but this, this time it felt so…right. There was plenty of time for rough and rowdy later. Now had to be special. His hand teased at her underwear again. His mouth was suddenly by her ear.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She was laying, one second from naked under him, and he was still worried.

She wanted to be annoyed.  
She did.  
But it was so cute.

She nodded. "Yes," her whispered reply came. He needed nothing else.

In a flash she was completely bare, not a scrap of cotton textile to cover her. She pushed his boxers down so they pooled at his ankles, where he kicked them off, hastily, climbing on to the bed completely. He hovered above her entrance, studying her face only a second before he lowered himself, filling her to the hilt.

She let out a gasp a pleasure. He filled her beautifully.

He moved inside her, slow at first, until it became too much and his grip of self-control was beginning to waver. The sounds she was making, the feel of her around him, her scent-it overwhelmed him. He rocked into her, faster and faster until they both came, each other's names left hanging in the air.

She first.  
Him, moments after.

He collapsed beside her, breathless, a slick sheen coating both of their bodies. They lay that way a minute, both catching their breath, taking a moment. He ran a hand, fingertips feather light, up and down the long leg she had draped over his body, and watched the heavy rise and fall of her bare chest. She was beautiful.

"That was…" She began, her voice a little shaky, completely lost for words.

"Wow," he finished for her, equally as stumped.

"Wow."

**Recognize the last lines? :) press the button, and be as brutally honest as you can.**


	9. Bricks

**First of all, thanks for the reviews, they are fantastic! Secondly, not one of you got the last lines reference! I think that is my fault…oh well, if you care to, check out the ending of chapter one. It might make more sense then. I'm going to have to work on that. I hope this chapter isn't too boring, I'm kind of lost as to where to go next. Please, I would love to hear what you guys want to see, and I would be more than happy to write it! I look forward to seeing your suggestions! :) **

**Bricks **

Kate had walls. Lots of them. She had walls built to protect walls to protect walls, she had so many. They had accumulated over the years, one on top of the other, until there was a fortress of protection not even the smoothest of man could break. And yet they lay, mere rubble at her feet. The walls she so relied on- the walls that had stood for so many years- no more.

Men had charged right at them at full speed.  
They had tried to sneak past them, weasel their way through them, even climb over them, all to no avail. They were truly walls of solid brick.

But Rick.  
Rick Castle snuck around to the back, cleverly missed every alarm, and worked. He worked every day without fail, talking to her, flirting with her, teasing her, bringing her coffee.  
Carving out one brick at a time.  
Until there were none.

She lay in the bed that smelled like him, wrapped up in sheets that smelled like him, wearing an over-sized button-up that smelled like him, next to the him himself. He was behind her, totally spooning, and arm draped over her waist, holding her to him. She didn't mind. She enjoyed it? Yes. She enjoyed it. He was right there, breathing life, in and out, in and out. Snoring occasionally. It was adorable. She was happy. Very happy. After that night, it was hard not to be. And not just the sex. The whole date thing…it worked for them.

They were working.

The thought made her smile uncontrollably. She snuggled further into his chest and into her pillow, finally giving in to sleep's gravitational pull.

* * *

He woke up and saw her, laying beside him. The clock said 5 am. He'd give her another fifteen minutes. Truthfully, he wanted a chance to admire her. Sure, he had admired her plenty last night, but this was different. The way she flared her nostrils every few exhales, the way her hair formed ringlets that were splashed across her face, the way she snored lightly. He wondered if she knew she snored. He wondered if he should mention it. Then, for a brief moment, he wondered if she'd shoot him. Inspiration struck. It would make for a good plot.

Woman serial killer gets angry and kills her lover…  
Very Cheap and Evil Girl, he thought.

He was jerked from his thoughts when the woman beside him shifted, turning so she was turned into him.

"Are you watching me sleep?" she mumbled, eyes still closed. She wrapped both arms around his waist, planting a light, sleepy kiss on his chest. "'Cos it's kind of creeping me out." He just smiled.

"Good morning," he kissed the top of her head in return.

"Mmmhmm," she mumbled, too sleepy to make coherent words. They laid there another few moments before Kate let out a groan. "I gotta get up," she mumbled, this time forming full words. She sat up and yawned, her hands reaching high above her head, pandiculation in full effect.

"Oh, I didn't know you did English in the morning," Rick pretended to be astonished. She hit him, playfully, a smile betraying her. She climbed out of bed, reluctant to leave its- and it's occupant's- warmth.

"I'm going to shower," she mumbled. The sleep was wearing off, fast, and the mission-oriented Kate was kicking in. He nodded and admired her figure shamelessly as she walked away, flawless even in his too-big button up shirt.

When she returned, sporting a fresh tee-shirt of his- this time a short-sleeved Columbia U tee, she found him in the kitchen, the smell of coffee hanging in the air. The trail of clothes they left behind the night before had disappeared. She snuck up behind him as he faced the stove, what smelled like pancakes cooking, snaking her arms around his waist and burying her face in his back affectionately. "Good morning," he greeted again, this time to the awake and alert Kate.

"Good morning. Whatcha' makin'? she asked, still not bothering with the delineation of her words.

"Food."

"Don't be so specific,"

"Breakfast food,"

"What _kind _of breakfast food?"

"The edible kind," she smacked him in the arm for being a smart ass. "Pancakes," he admitted, after the abuse.

"No matter, I have to go. I need to stop by my place to change and hurry to the station- you know if I'm a second late, Lanie will have a cow."

"What's wrong with the shirt you're wearing?" he asked her, turning, spatula in hand. "I think it rather suits you."

"Yes, well, as much as I agree, I don't think the captain would be too pleased to see me interviewing suspects in only a man's tee-shirt."

"Are you kidding? Do you have any _idea _the number of confessions you'd get out of a day of that? So many would do it just so you'd cuff 'em!" She smiled despite herself.

"Besides, it practically screams 'I slept with Castle last night," she told him.

"I still don't see the issue," he informed her, matter-of-factly. Again she grinned, leaning in to kiss him goodbye. "I'm going to clean up here, I will meet you at the precinct in a bit," he promised. Again, he leaned to watch her leave. They were working.

* * *

Lanie sat at Kate's desk, waiting. It was quarter to eight in the morning. Kate was nowhere to be seen. This would be normal for anyone else. But it wasn't anyone else.

It was Kate.  
Strict, professional, anal retentive Kate Beckett.

Lanie looked at her watch, the hand creeping across the face at a torturously slow speed. It was then the elevator sounded a small 'ding,' announcing an arrival to the 12th precinct. It was Kate.

Lanie drummed her fingers against the wooden desk, resting her chin in her hand. She watched Kate enter, completely unaware of her desk's inhabitant. At the sight of the small woman, she jumped. "Jesus, Lanie, you scared the hell out of me!" She exclaimed, relaxing at the realization. She continued her journey to her desk, oblivious to Lanie's eye daggers. Lanie prided herself on her eye daggers. "What?" Kate asked, when she noticed her friend's death stare.

"You tell me," Lanie said, raising an eyebrow. Kate mirrored the move.

"Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated by my father for missing curfew? " Kate asked, now even more cautiously. She could tell when Lanie was on to something.

"Don't play coy with me, sweetie, I know you slept with him," Lanie said. The blood rushed to Kate's cheeks. "And don't you dare try denying it, because you had the 'I just got laid' walk coming up here, and now it's all over your face." She rose out of the desk chair so Kate could sit, taking rightful ownership of the seat.

"So what if I did?" Kate challenged, not bothering with the refutation. If Lanie's eyebrow could arch any higher, it would have just then.

"So _what?" _She repeated. This was déjà vu. _She just said so what._

"Well, we _are _kind of…" Kate paused a moment. What were they? Labels had not been established. Were they dating? It sure felt like they were dating. Kate needed a word, quickly, before Lanie caught on. "…a thing," she decided, lamely. _Thing? That's the best you can do, Kate? _She asked herself, appalled at the pedestrian noun. Lanie crossed her arms, not convinced. Of what she was convincing her of, Kate was unsure. "Stop looking at me like that!" she demanded, trying to busy herself with the papers that cluttered her desk. Lanie stood only a moment longer before sinking in to what was normally Castle's seat.

She asked. She was done being the parent. Now she was the best friend. Now she wanted details. Kate just looked at her, a bemused look etched into her brow. "Start at the beginning, girl, and don't leave out a single minute."

**The button below takes you to this fabulous page where you can leave a review. You should try it.**

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**Thanks a ton! sof**


	10. Judge and Jury

**Little note: I got a twitter just for FF, just in case anyone wanted to follow me or message me that way. Check out my profile for the link ****  
Here is the latest chapter- please don't forget to laugh and leave a review on your way out **** thanks for the reviews, they have been sooooo encouraging in ways I can't even put into words. And that is saying something. And now, chapter ten.**

**Judge and Jury**

"He did _what _with his _what?" _ Lanie asked, loudly. Beckett, unable to keep the grin off her face, shushed her friend. It was still incredibly early, the rest of the precinct was still filtering in a few at a time, but Castle had yet to make an appearance.

"Keep it down," Kate whispered, shooting a look to Ryan and Esposito, who were getting coffee in the break room.

"Who did what with what's what?" Castle's voice sounded from behind the two. They jumped in their seats, spinning around to face him. Kate was blushing madly, but Lanie just looked him up and down.

"I am looking at you in a whole other light," she said, eyes wide.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, clearly confused. She just stood, giving him his seat. He accepted, smiling his appreciation. He set down a cup of coffee and a doughnut in front of Beckett. "I would have gotten you one, but I didn't know you'd be here," he told Lanie. She just smiled.

"That's fine. I need to get back to my lab, anyways, I got some fresh meat in the freezer and an autopsy to complete," she told him, nodding to Beckett, sharing with her a knowing smile. Kate tried to hid hers in her coffee cup.

"Ohh, does that mean we have a case?" Castle asked, leaning in, excitedly.

"God, Castle, the mention of murder and you light up like a child on Christmas morning," she observed, sipping her coffee and inspecting the contents of the Dunkin' Donuts bag he set in front of her. "There has got to be some Freudian-psycho-sexual-story there."

"I'm sure I haven't the slightest what you mean," Castle said, taking the bag and retrieving a raspberry-filled one for himself. "You know that stuff they say about cops and doughnuts?" he asked, biting into the fruit-filled pastry. "I totally see the appeal." She watched him bite into the tartlet, red filling oozing from the cake. "Bite?" He asked, his mouth still full, extending the treat to her. She shook her head, the hint of amusement in her eyes. She had to resist the sudden strong urge to wipe away the small bit of raspberry filling that hung on to the corner of his mouth. Instead she pointed to her own face, indicating to him, her hands a safe distance from her body. He caught on and reached for it with his tongue, struggling to reach it. She had to stifle a laugh, he looked so ridiculous.

"I see you two kissed and made out," Ryan observed as he and Esposito strolled into the bullpen. Beckett shot him a look that could bore a hole into his head. "Up. I meant up," he choked out, flopping into his desk chair.

"What are you two doing?" She asked, in the bossy voice she only used when she was angry or annoyed. It looked like this time, it was a little of both.

"Sitting?" Esposito said.

"Go track down the vic's financial report- I want to know where all his money was disappearing to. And Ryan, I want you to bring in the sister- something tells me she knows something she isn't telling us," he ordered, kicking into full work mode. Both men leapt into action, not needing to be told twice. Before Castle could open his mouth to speak, though, the telephone rang. "Beckett," she greeted. It was Lanie.

"Come down here girl, you gotta see this," Lanie said, excitement ringing in her voice.

"That was fast, you left not ten minutes ago," Beckett said, suspiciously.

"I'm that good, now get your skinny behind down here, and bring that shadow of yours," Lanie replied, hanging up the phone with a click. With a newfound charge of curiosity, Beckett stood, rather abruptly.

"Lanie has something," she told Castle, who jumped up to follow her, falling easily in stride.

"That was fast."

"She's that good," she replied with the shrug of her shoulders.

* * *

Lanie, as it turns out, happened across a rather interesting bit of evidence- a microchip in the victim's trachea. "From the looks of it," Lanie began, "The victim used something to tie the chip around one of his back molars, then swallowed it."

"With what?" Beckett asked, bewildered.

"Dental Floss," it was Castle that answered. They both turned to him, surprised and slightly impressed by his knowledge. "It's an old prison trick," he told them, shrugging sheepishly.

"Judging by the traces of mineral oil and paraffin I found in his esophagus and Larynx, I'd say cinnamon flavored, wax coated dental floss," Lanie said.

"So he got the memory card, tied it to his tooth with a piece of dental floss…and swallowed it? Why?" Beckett's question was rhetorical, but of course, Castle had an answer ready.

"To hide it. Maybe he was blackmailing someone, maybe it was some sort of insurance policy. Anyway, he was afraid of someone finding it. Who would think to look in his throat? The sister said he was in with some shady characters." Beckett contemplated his words. He was on to something.

"Let's go talk to the sister," she declared. "Thanks Lanie!" She called after her. When she had turned away, Lanie made eyes at Castle. The message was clear. He was to stay behind.

"You go on, I'll catch up," Castle assured Kate as she made to leave. She looked at him, puzzled, then at Lanie. Back to Rick.

"Okaaayyy," she said, cautiously. "You better have coffee with you," and with that she was gone. After a few moments, so she was sure Beckett was out of earshot, Lanie began.

"Richard," she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The way she said his name made him nervous. "Have you ever dated a cop's little sister?" She asked him. He shook his head. "Kate Beckett is an only child. But do not think I exaggerate when I say that you are in a building filled with protective big brothers that pack serious heat. Let me tell you, she has a whole precinct that will kick your ass to Mars if you hurt her."

"I'm not going to hurt her, Lanie," he said. Despite his wavering resolve, his voice projected strong. He meant it, too. She only nodded.

"I believe that. I do. You are good for her Castle, just as good as she is for you, and I know you love her," she said. All the usual humor was gone from her voice, so it remained solemn.

He nodded.  
He didn't deny it.  
Any of it.

"I do believe it, and I believe she does, too," she continued. "But I need you to know, Castle, that I can kill you. And I can do it without leaving a trace of forensic evidence."

She could.  
She would.  
He seemed to get this.

He nodded, slowly. "I don't plan on it," he told her, hoping a charming smile would lighten the sudden deadweight that hung over the room.

"You best not begin planning, either. You think this is bad, wait until Javier and Kev find out about this little affair. Cause let me tell you, poison is neat and pretty, but they won't spare your handsome face."

"Poison?" he nearly choked out. She disregarded this.

"And I will swear in front of judge and jury that you died of natural causes." Again, he nodded. After a moment of heavy silence, and an intense eye x-ray from Lanie, a smile broke on her face. "I'm glad we had this talk," she said, her voice once again as sunny as always.

* * *

"What was all that about?" Kate asked when Castle caught up with her in the observation room, coffee offering in hand.

"Uhh…" he hadn't thought of a cover story. "Lanie just wanted to remind me to…um…" he needed to say something. Anything. "Do that thing with the thing, at that place?"

"The best friend talk, huh?" She guessed.

"Yeah," he exhaled, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Did she tell you that she'd kill you without leaving a trace of evidence behind?"

"She might have mentioned it," at the sound of his airy reply, she laughed. She loved Lanie.

Best.  
Friend.  
Ever.

"Come to my place tonight? Alexis promised to make it up to us, and I'm pretty sure that means a fabulous French dinner," he asked her suddenly. He had gotten closer. She placed a hand on his chest.

"Castle," she mumbled, and then something about 'at work.' He stepped back to a socially acceptable distance. He remained quiet but his eyes were still asking.

She nodded.  
"I'd like that," she told him, a girlish jig threatening her demeanor.  
She quickly snuffed those urges.

**Sorry if it's short, I just thought this would be a good stopping place. So tell me if the story is getting too mushy, we can't have that. Please leave a review, let me know what you think so far. How do you like Lanie's scene? Press the button to send me those warm fuzzies I can't seem to get enough of.**


	11. Paris

**Oh my, it's chapter 11 already. Nice one-shot, huh? Ha ha. Just wanted to say once again, your reviews are FABULOUS! I simply love you all, and was pleased to find a couple of you on twitter! :D Ahhh I'm going to stop before I start to gush. Here is chapter ELEVEN.**

**Paris**

Pancakes. That's what she smelled as she crossed the threshold of the Castle home. It was as if she had walked in to a bakery, the scent was so strong. Rick, who was leading her by the hand into the loft, poked his head around the foyer wall into the kitchen. Alexis was covered, head to toe in a blanket of flour, a blue apron saving the best of her clothes. "Hi dad," she greeted.

"Hey pumpkin," he greeted back, drifting closer and closer to the stove, where indeed, pancakes were cooking.

"Hey Kate," Alexis smile widened. She was thrilled that the detective had agreed to dinner.

"Hey, Lex," Kate greeted. The pet name slipped of its own accord, surprising Kate with a coupled feeling of warmth. She enjoyed that. Lex. It was…personal. The teenager was just adorable, coated in that thin sheen of white baking flour, mess splattered across the kitchen counters and stove. "Pancakes?"

"Well, it's not exactly _French,_" the redhead shot her dad a look, stressing the last word to him. "But Dad's the cook, not me. I do pancakes and Hot Pockets. If I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I'll attempt at a pizza." She pointed with the spatula she wielded. "But feel special, 'cos I added chocolate chips just for you." Kate couldn't help but smile at the girls spunk. She reminded her of herself at her age. Alexis was in a much better place, both literally and emotionally, but there was the sass that seemed so..nostalgically familiar.

"You've been hanging around my daughter too long," Rick said, practically pulling the thoughts out of her mind. He reached for one of the pancakes, picking off a piece, when Alexis's spatula came down on his hand, hard. He pulled back, massaging the back of his hand, wounded. "You're a bad influence." Kate just laughed.

"You two are distracting me," Alexis interrupted. "Go away, I can't work with you hovering."

"I like watching you work," Rick told her, popping the piece of pancake he got away with into his mouth, smiling contagiously.

"That's a little creepy, Dad, I'm not going to lie,"

"Welcome to my life," Kate told her, as if he wasn't standing right there.

"I like watching pretty girls work, what's so wrong with that?" he asked, defensive.

"I believe the words you used before were 'beautiful woman," Kate corrected.

"Yea, but I was grouping you with my daughter, and although by daughter is beautiful, I'm not ready for the woman part. I need time," he told her, eyes wide at the prospect. "She still looks like a toddler to me."

Alexis found herself smiling despite her best efforts, and they shared a moment. "Go," Alexis demanded, not unkindly, pointing with her almighty spatula to the living room. "Put on a good movie, and I swear to God, Dad, if it's a Bond movie-"

"You will turn on Twilight and make me watch the sequel, too, I _know_," he said, leaving, still tugging Kate along by the hand. He sat down on the floor in front of the TV and pulled Kate to sit beside him, both Indian-style, facing each other. "So, it's your night to pick," he said.

"Why don't you go, I'll take the next time," she said, coyly.

"While I am inclined to accept, solely on the fact that you just alluded to _a _next time, I think you should pick. I'm going to cash in on my movie selection chips when Alexis isn't here, so you can experience Bond without the fear of sparkling vampires looming near." She couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay," she poked around in the cabinet he opened for her, shyly. DVD's were piled up like mountains, one on top of the other. Good ones, too. She poked around carefully, until a particular DVD caught her eye. Her eyes lit up, sparkling in that spectacular way they tended to do.

"You find the one you want?" he asked, as she withdrew the disk. She just nodded. Judy Garland smiled from the cover. "The Wizard of Oz," he smiled, knowingly. "I never had you pegged for a classics girl," he admitted rising and extending an arm to help her up. She took it.

"I didn't know you knew what a classic was, let alone own one," she shot right back.

"If there is a movie, I have it. It's Alexis's weak spot. Films and books- It's the only proof I have that she is, indeed, her father's child."

"And here I was thinking you were trying to open up your own Best Buy," she popped the disk in and dropped down on the couch beside him. Instantly, this time with no fake yawn to disguise it, he draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his side. She complied, a small, happy sigh escaping her. It didn't go unnoticed.

_They were so cute, _Alexis thought to herself as she watched the two disappear into the living room. She was glad to see that the dynamic they maintained hadn't changed- they seemed to act the same- childish and teasing as usual. She flipped the last pancake over, sprinkling it with the last few chocolate chips, before adding it to the tower forming on the plate.

She joined her father and Kate, who, much to her giddiness, were sitting rather close on the couch, dinner in hand. She handed them out- one to Kate, one to her Dad, and setting up on the recliner adjacent to the couch with her own. "What are we watching?" She asked, nodding towards the de-saturated loin roaring on the screen, signaling the beginning of the film.

"The Wizard of Oz," her Dad told her.

The evening went along just as the last movie night had- quiet and pleasant. Kate and Rick had grown more comfortable on the couch- something Alexis did not fail to notice. He had let her stretch out so she was laying the full length of the sofa, her legs draped over his lap, casually. He rested a hand on one, drumming soothing patterns onto it. She smiled. The next thing Alexis knew, Judy Garland was clicking her heals together, those ruby slippers sparkling so, and she was drifting off into sleepland. That part _always _made her sleepy. The movie was drawn to a close, and with the promise of dishes in the morning, she bid the adults goodnight and trudged off to bed.

"Stay tonight?" Rick asked her, a while after Alexis had left them. On the glowing screen in front of them, Humphrey Bogart was standing, inches from the silhouette that was Ingrid Bergman. Words were being exchanged, probably some of the most prolific movie quotes of all times and he could swear Kate was mouthing the words.

"But what about us?" a shaky Ingrid asked.

Kate tore her eyes away from the scene- her favorite scene, although she would never admit it. Humphery's reply echoed in her head even before he said it. _We'll always have Paris. _The corners of her mouth turned up. "Why?" Kate asked him, forcing her thoughts to the situation not on screen.

"Because I want you to," he told her, too sleepy to come up with a clever response. "And because you want to."

"Who says I want to?" she challenged.

"Do you?"

Silence. "Then the question, Detective Beckett, is not why. It is why not." He lifted her legs gently off his lap and stood, holding out a hand. "C'mon, we can finish the film tomorrow."

"But this is my favorite part,"  
Oops. She didn't mean to share that part.

Rick grinned, made a mental note to tease her about it later, and waved the hand he had extended. "That's why they make rewind buttons."

She smiled, unable to fight his logic, and accepted his hand, letting him lead her to his bedroom. She changed into one of his large tee's and boxers before climbing into the large bed beside him. He made it a whole 30 seconds before giving into the temptation of slipping his arm around her thin waist, pulling her close to him. She felt his lips at her neck, caressing, softly. She leaned her neck to the side, involuntarily, the sensation sending shivers down her spine. "Rick, she mumbled. "Rick," she said, more firmly the second time, the message clear. He pulled away.

"What?" he asked.

"You daughter-"

"Is sleeping at the other end of the loft," he finished for her.

"Yea, but she's-"

"If you're worried about noise, then you should know there are ways around that," he told her, pointedly. She turned around in his arms to face him, giving him a playful shove. "What about when you move in? Are we going to suffer a sex-less relationship because she _may possibly _know we do more than hold hands and cuddle on the couch?" His voice joked but his face was serious.

"_When _I _what?" _Kate asked, take aback. Those were big adverbs. Big adverbs heavy with meaning. "Who says I'm moving in?" He began to play with her hair, aimlessly, tugging softly at the brunette locks.

"I'm not talking about tomorrow, Kate, I just mean…eventually. Eventually, I'd like you to move in."

"Eventually," she began, after a long weighted moment of consideration. "I'd like that too.

"Does that mean I can continue kissing you?" He asked her, warily. She smiled, extending her neck to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Yes," she murmured, barely remover her lips from his.

**So how do we like it? Some foreshadowing, maybe, maybe a little family bonding at the beginning there, and then I couldn't resist the Casablanca reference. While I know Kate Beckett would never ever be into chick flicks or corny love scenes, I stand firmly on the opinion that that Casablanca scene, with the paris line in it Is the single most greatest scene ever, and I have it in my mind that Kate goes for the B&W love stories. She's just classy like that.**

**Here's to you, kid.**

**What should happen next? Pregnancy is popping up (JackpotGirl!) but I don't think they are ready for that kind of bombshell _quite _yet. **

**Leave a review, please, if not only to yell at me for my horrible infatuation with old movies and my terrible tendency to quote them.**


	12. EventuallyThe Beginning

**I hope that this isn't confusing…I wrote it kind of weirdly, but I really like it. There are flashbacks nestled in here, I hope it's obvious where. I will try to make it as obvious as possible.**

**Eventually**

Three months. They had been dating for three months.  
Yes, dating. The tag came along sometime in the second month.

At his place, she had a toothbrush and her own little section of the closet.  
At hers, he had a bottle of shampoo and a drawer.

"Move in with us."  
They were sitting at the breakfast table. Still clad in their pajama's, Rick's hair un-brushed and Kate make-up-less. She was beautiful that way, he thought. Her eyes shot up from her plate to meet his, Her fork clattering to the glass plate on which it fell.

"What?" It came out muffled, as she had just taken a bite of her breakfast. He looked pensive. Serious.

"Move in with us," he said again. She forced herself to swallow the eggs. "You practically live here anyways," he pointed out. "We may as well make it official." Kate just stared at him, eyes wide, thinking about it.

"Alexis and Martha?" she finally managed.

"Are thrilled at the prospect. They're probably more excited than I am, if that's possible." Her mind was working overtime, images and memories of evenings spent with the family flashing through her mind. Alexis's pancakes, Martha's plays, Rick's…she nearly blushed of those memories. The past three months had been packed with them. "I don't think it's possible," he added. Kate gave a tiny nod, a nod he almost missed.

"I knew you were trying to seduce me with the eggs and coffee," she told him. "Okay." That smile was spreading, that smile that reached into her eyes and made them shine. He lived to make her smile like that.

"Really?" he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. Again, a nod. He reached over to run a thumb across her cheek, smile broadening. "And I didn't even have to break out the bacon." She laughed. She was doing a lot of that lately.

!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Kate was sitting on her bed, in the only clear spot in the room. A sea of brown boxes looked up at her from the floor, and with them, Lanie. "Girl, when did you get so much _stuff_?" she asked, emptying a drawer of clothes into one of the boxes. Kate shrugged. Lanie turned so that she was staring at her, pointedly. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing, chillin' out while I pack?"

"Thinkin'" Kate replied. She had both knees drawn to her chest, her arms across them, securing them.

"Are you okay?" Lanie's annoyance disappeared and concern replaced it. Kate nodded.

"I'm fine," and she was. "Just…a lot of things." Lanie sat on the edge of the bed.

"Want to tell me about them?" Kate looked up at her friend. Rarely was she so serious.

"I'm happy," Kate began. "I'm really really happy. I'm just…nervous? And scared. Definitely scared,"

"Scared of what?"

"Dating him was a big step, publicly dating him was a big step, and this- this is a really big step," her eyes widened at the thought.

"Seems like the natural progression of a healthy relationship to me," Lanie pointed out. A small smile was her reward.

"Your right. Do you want to take a break? Go get some lunch?" Kate asked, unfolding from her position and standing. Lanie nodded.

"I've been slaving over your closet for the last few hours," she told her, that tone of frivolity back. "So don't be surprised when I let you pick up the bill."

?!?!?!?!?!

Ryan and Esposito found out, about a month in.  
Rick remembered it, vividly.

First they were surprised.  
Then Ryan slipped a smug Esposito a twenty.  
Then they cornered Castle on his way out of the precinct.

"Lanie talked to you?" Esposito asked, peering dauntingly into Castle's face.

"Yes," he answered, dragging the word out slowly, as if he were afraid it was the wrong one.

"Then she told you about the judge and the jury?" it was Ryan who spoke this time.

They all seemed pretty well versed in her speech. Suspiciously well.

"Something like that," he said, still wary.

"So you are aware that we can and will get away with it?" Esposito again. Castle nodded, fervently. The two shorter men stared him down before Esposito spoke again. "So we still on for Madden tonight?"

But once the traditional protective threats were made and out of the way, everything was normal again. Ryan and Esposito's dirty joke count rose a few notches, and the captain looked at them with an odd smile, but other than that, life moved on.

Rick was at his desk, typing. Writing. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. If he thought Beckett was muse-worthy from 9-5, try being around her nearly twenty four seven. And much, much more intimately. He had never been so inspired. Just as he was walking Nikki Heat to a crime scene, he looked up, the feeling of being watched unnerving him. Kate Beckett herself was standing in the doorway of his office, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed, smiling softly. She was wearing jeans and a tee and that fabulous brown jacket he loved so much, her hair tossed up carelessly in one of those buns that were done without thought but turned out perfect anyways. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she said back.

"Dropping off more boxes?" he asked. She and Lanie had been in and out all afternoon. He had offered to help, but they wouldn't let him. She nodded.

"The last of them."

"Let me help you bring them up," he said, starting to stand, but she moved from her spot on the doorframe, advancing towards him and his desk.

"No, it's alright, we've just finished. Lanie's redecorating your room now," Kate informed him. He smiled, sitting back down. She neared. He cocked his head, curiously.

"Our room," he corrected, smiling at the thought. She mirrored it, warmed to the bone at the thought. _Their room. _

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. She nodded. She was at his desk now, and she sat on the corner in front of him. He rested both hands on her knees, rolling his chair so he was closer. He placed a kiss on each of her knees. "You seem out of it."

"I'm glad we're doing this," she told him, making him look up.

"Me too," a smile creeping on to his features. "But?"

"But what?"

"Oh, I was sensing a but."

"No, no but," it was her turn to smile.

"I have had so many fantasies about this moment," he admitted, quietly, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. It should have been awkward, but somehow, it was not. He braced himself for a punch, but none came.

"I'll have to remember that," she said. His mouth dropped open. She loved that she could still do that. Surprise him like that. Before he could reply with what she was sure was a witty retort, Lanie's voice announced he presence. She was in the doorway, a large box in front of her.

"Kate, what should I do with the-"

They flew apart, Castle sent flying backwards in his rolling chair. Kate hopped gingerly off of his desk, pink tinting her cheeks. "Did I interrupt something?" Lanie's eyebrow settled high on her forehead.

"No," they said in unison.

"I'm interrupting something," this time it wasn't a question.

Why they were embarrassed, neither of them knew, they were in their own home, after all.

!?!?!?!

Lanie dropped off the last box in Castle's bedroom, resisted the very strong urge to rifle through his things, and went back down stairs. She peered into an open box and found even more clothes. "I swear she could open up a Walmart," Lanie muttered to herself, groaning as she lifted the heavy box. "Kate," she called, poking her head in to Castle's office, the first door she could find. "What should I do with-"

Kate was sitting on the edge of his desk, and he was sitting in the desk chair in front of her. He had is arms wrapped around her, holding her, his hands tracing patterns into her back. It was possibly the cutest thing she had ever seen. They scrambled apart when they noticed her, Castle pushing away and Kate climbing off the desk. Lanie felt like she was intruding.

"Did I interrupt something?" She raised an eyebrow

"No," they said in unison.

It took a lot to get Lanie flustered. A lot. "I'm interrupting something," this time it wasn't a question. Shit. She was intruding. "I'll just.." Lanie started walking backwards out of the room. "Come back…"

Five minutes later, they both emerged from the office to find Lanie on the couch. She debated on whether or not to tease them about what she had witnessed. She was so embarrassed, she did not. "You know what you two need?" she said, as the couple sat on the couch across from her. She couldn't help but notice how close they were sitting. _Adorable. _

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"A party. A house warming party," she proposed. Kate was going to hate her for this.

"Oh no," Kate said.

"Yes!" Castle said. "What? Why not, it would be sooooo great!" Kate still seemed hesitant. "Puh-leeeaase?" he gave her those puppy eyes she could never deny.

"Alright," she resigned. "But a small one!" she held up a finger. He grinned boyishly.

"Lanie- you and me, we're going to plan this," Castle stood from his spot next to Kate and sat beside Lanie. Kate sat and watched the two sit and discuss party plans- dates, times, a guest list.

Names like Ryan, Esposito, and Montgomery were said. Mutual friends. The more Kate heard, the more excited she was getting.

It would be the beginning.  
The beginning of their life, together.  
And she liked the sound of that.  
She liked the sound of that a lot.

**So….What do you think? A party? The beginning of them?  
Love it, hate it, want more? Let me know, leave a review.  
I love you all, my readers.**


	13. The Party

**Okay, I hope it's not confusing, I tried to make the pov changes evident. Also (if I've done things right :/) it gets kind of hot. Not sure if they are gonna do the deed in so many words, but it definitely nears it. just warning you, cos I'm not sure what merits an M rating entirely. Here goes, the longest chapter yet. Party, anyone?**

Alexis had never seen Kate so nervous. Her mind had painted a beautiful picture of this strong, invincible, calm, collected woman who could not be fazed, but how wrong had she been. Kate was running around the apartment, cleaning up, mostly after her father, running her hand through her hair (she did that a lot when she was stressed) and mumbling (also mostly about her father).

Alexis just watched, curiously as the detective scrambled around the living room with a duster and a can of Febreeze, coating every surface she could find with the 'rain-lilies' smell. She never thought she would see the day. Noon rolled around and she decided to make lunch- not just for her, but for the both of them. Her dad was out- he went to pick up food for the party, running last minute errands. All the stuff he put off until the last minute. So Alexis made two tuna sandwiches and two cups of apple juice and forced Kate to sit and eat.

"Thanks, Lex," Kate told her. For a minute they enjoyed their meal in silence. "I never really got a chance to sit down with you and talk about…this," Kate began. Alexis had a feeling this was coming. Her father and she discussed the whole situation before he had asked Kate to move in, and she couldn't be happier with the plan. She liked Kate.

Alexis offered the nervous detective a warm smile. "Kate- I couldn't be more pleased that you're here. Dad…he loves you. He may not have told you yet, but he does. As do I," and after a moment: "I'm glad you're here, Kate." Kate reached over and rested a hand on her knee. Alexis could tell she was lost for words. She opened her mouth. Closed it. opened it again. Tried to speak. Closed it. Opened it one last time, when words came at last.

"That means…so much to me," Kate said. "Being here…me too." She settled on, satisfied with her answer.

"You fit here," Alexis said, almost cryptically. Kate smiled.  
She did, too.  
Fit.  
There was more silence.

"I can't believe I let your father talk me into a party," she said, exhaling heavily.

"Why _did _you?" Alexis asked.

"I don't know. Him and Lanie teamed up on me and it was all kind of blur," she admitted. They shared a laugh.

"Nerves?" Alexis guessed. She got a nod in reply.

"All of our friends under one roof witnessing our…" Once again, the right word escaped her. "Togetherness." She decided on. Alexis understood.

"I remember when I went on my first date, and my dad was so nervous- I think he was more nervous than I was. Anyways, he was running around the house, sorta like a chicken with his head cut off. He even sat down and gave me the talk. Can you imagine my dad giving _a _talk, let alone _the _talk?"

"I'm pretty sure he _was _more nervous than you were," Kate assured her, as she looked off into space, no doubt trying to imagine Castle giving the talk.

"Yea, well he went a little crazy,"

"Seems to me he stayed that way," they both burst into a fit of laughter. The sound of the front door opening and closing, coupled with her father's voice announcing his arrival.

"Hey Dad!" Alexis greeted, her laughter slowly subsiding. He appeared beside them.

"How are my two favorite girls?" he asked them, unbelievably happy at the sight before him.

"Fabulous," Alexis answered. Kate nodded.

"We are. Fabulous." Rick noticed her happiness.

"You're cheery this afternoon. I remember you woke up and wanted to shoot me. Did you have your coffee, is that what it is?" Kate retaliated by throwing the first thing she could find- one of the couches decorative pillows- at him, hitting him right in the face.

"I always want to shoot you," she told him. He made a face.

Alexis observed all this, a smile plastered permanently on her face. She meant what she said. All of it.

She watched her Dad.  
He was watching Kate.  
He did love her.  
She hoped Kate understood that.

Six rolled around sooner than any of them had expected. Kate was still running around, lighting incents here, sweeping here, setting out the food. Rick dominated the kitchen, getting together the snacks. He brought out the poker table and stocked the cards, set on the music, and brought out the drinks in an ice bucket. Martha sat back with a glass of Chardonnay and soaked it in- the two working like a little unit. She wondered fleetingly if they worked that well at the precinct. She wouldn't doubt it. They worked as a single, seamless team, Richard humming rather annoyingly as he worked and Kate going behind him, making sure he didn't forget anything. She watched as they disappeared into the bedroom about an hour before the guests were to arrive.

Rick followed close behind Kate into the bedroom.

Their bedroom.

He smiled again. She called the shower first, shutting the door in his disappointed face with an evil laugh when he tried to follow her. He sighed resignedly and flopped onto the bed, backwards.

Their bed.

It had been a week since she had moved in. Her clothes hung in the closet, her perfume bottles littered his- now hers, he supposed- bureau, her scarves decorated various fixtures. The bed smelled like her. The pillows smelled like her. The whole damn place smelled like her, and he loved it. The sheets were still rumpled from the night before- apparently it was the only room she _hadn't _attacked with Febreeze and a vacuum. Today she had shown not only the anal retentive side he knew and loved, but the domestic side he had never seen before. He decided he loved that, too. Of course, the anal-retentive side would smack him for even thinking that. But never mind. That side needn't ever know.

He heard the water in the shower cut off, and a few minutes later Kate emerged, wrapped in only a towel. Long tendrils of dark wet hair fell to her bare shoulders as she waltzed out of the bathroom.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't showing off just a little for him  
He would be lying if he said he minded.

"I am having simply sinful thoughts over here," he admitted in his sultry tone.

"Really?" she asked him, matching his seduction. She advanced to where he sat on the bed, languidly. He gulped. She was so _hot. _She reached him and placed a knee on either side of him, climbing on opt of him and she pushed him backwards. She had a sudden bout of déjà vu as she remembered the first time they made love. _Oh how the tables have turned_, she thought to herself.

Her lips found his and a heated battle for dominance ensued. He reached for her- any of her. His hands traveled along the longs legs straddling him and to her waist, where the towel still covered her. He tugged at it, impatiently. "No," she murmured into his mouth. She forced herself to pull away. "No, the party is in an hour and you still need a shower," she told him, as he nipped lovingly at her lips, asking for more.

"We have an hour," he protested. She smiled, leaning down to plant another kiss on his lips before un-straddling him. He groaned in disappointment but stood himself.

"Go get clean, I have to get dressed. An hour in girl time is the equivalence of five minutes in guys time."

"Oh," he gasped in mock horror. "What _ever _will you do?" she made a face at him as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Lanie was the first to arrive. She was greeted by Kate, who was dressed fabulously but casually in jeans and one of those boat-neck shirts she was so fond of. She held out her gift- a bottle of red- and was welcomed graciously into the huge loft. She had been there once before- that time she helped Kate move in- but it still shocked her to see its size. Martha and Alexis were chilling on the sofa, chatting about this or that and the other thing, when Kate and Lanie joined them. All four women of three generations sat and talked- boys were the main topic, as they all took an exceeding interest in Alexis's love life, and the three older women warned her about the perils of high school, complete with anecdotes.

Next came the Captain. Roy, as he was quick to remind Kate when she greeted him at the door. Tonight he was Roy. She smiled, nervously, leading him into the living room, where he helped himself to the pretzel sticks set out on the table and joined in on the girl talk. He fit right in with the four women, not missing a beat when the subject of boys arose again. Both Kate and Lanie had to suppress both shock and amusement at his ease at the conversation. "Want to start braiding her hair, too?" Kate asked, unable to bite any more back. Captain Montgomery would have been pissed, but Roy laughed.

"Where's the brush?" he asked. "I have daughters of my own, detective, boy talk isn't nearly as foreign as one might think." Castle finally decided to emerge from the bedroom. He had underestimated how long he would need to clean up, something Kate didn't mind teasing him about.

"Oh, I only need five minutes," she mocked, in her best imitation of him. She stood from her seat on the floor and stood next to him.

"First of all," he began, "I do not sound like that. Second of all, five minutes would be ample time if you didn't use up all the hot water." He snaked an arm around her waist, inwardly bewildered that she let him. She was so at ease. Usually even the hint of a sexual or otherwise personal reference in front of her colleges or his family was enough to earn a blush and some form of abuse, but he was touching her. Displaying affection publicly. And she was letting him. Before she could respond with what was sure to be a witty retort, the intercom buzzed, signaling a guests arrival. Kate excused herself and disappeared into the hall to answer the door.

Roy watched the two. He always knew there was something there- he saw it the day he saw them together. Of course, when he wore that suit he had to keep his mouth shut, but he didn't mind indulging in the occasional teasing. He was glad that things had worked out for them. He figured it could go really, really bad or very well. He was pleased to discover it had been the latter. They seemed so comfortable together- he had never seen Kate smile so radiantly before. He had known her ever since her rookie years, and seeing her now, with a good, solid relationship and a family, it was a pleasant turn of events. He was happy for them. He noticed- an observant detective himself, once, how Castle slipped his arm around her, almost protectively. He also noticed that she let him.

Yes, he decided.  
She had come a long way.  
They both had.

Kate reappeared with Ryan and Esposito, and another bottle of wine. "We could open our own liquor store with all this wine!" She joked, setting the bottle with the others.

"Not if mother finds the key to the cabinet again," Castle joked, earning laughs from everyone but Martha, who hit him on the arm.

"Nice place you got here, Castle," Ryan said, looking around. "Well, Beckett, too, I suppose." Esposito was more interested in the snacks he spotted on the way in. Since they were the last of the guests, the party truly began.

Rick broke out the music, Kate opened a bottle of wine, the boys, who were too macho for wine, grabbed beers, and Alexis poured herself some soda. A heated game of rummy broke out (Alexis refused to gamble at Poker), at which Kate won everything.

"She's kicking your ass at Rummy, too?" Esposito asked, laughing. Ryan nudged him and nodded to Alexis. Esposito's eyes widened. "Sorry."

"You guys are aware that I go to a public high school, right?" she asked the table as a whole. "And I live with a writer."

"I am a firm believer in that there is no such things as bad words. Just expletives. Except the F-word," he held out a finger to his daughter, warningly. _As if, _she thought to herself. She wasn't much for cursing, anyways.

"You are aware that expletives and bad words are synonyms?" Kate asked him, an eyebrow arched. She hid her surprise. He was constantly surprising her. Every once and a while, he reminded her that he was, indeed, a father. A good one.

"No, there is a difference," he insisted. "What do we want to do next?" he asked everyone. "'Cause I was thinking Guitar Hero III showdown."

An hour later Roy Montgomery was shredding 'Through the Fire and Flames.' Everone sat back on the various seating furniture in amazement. Kate, who was seated squarely between Ryan and Esposito, turned to Esposito. "Who would have thought-"

"Not in a million years," he finished for her. "Look at that solo! Even I can't nail that solo!"

"I have a son, too," Roy said, his fingers not stopping over the guitar-shaped controller, as he overheard their conversation. Kate proceeded to go, fail miserably, and threaten to shoot the first person to make fun of her. Lanie, Alexis, Esposito and Ryan all went. Martha declined, opting instead to watch and sip her drink in amusement. The brackets narrowed down to Alexis, Rick, Esposito, and Roy, then down to Alexis and Roy. She beat out Esposito without even trying, but Roy was even more difficult.

In the end it was Alexis who won, celebrating by claiming full bragging rights, stealing Roy's beloved pretzel sticks, snatching the twenty dollar bill Ryan was handing Esposito, and skipping off to bed. Everyone watched her go with a mix of amazement (Kate and Lanie), confusion (Ryan and Esposito), respect (Roy), and sadness (Rick). Midnight neared and the crowd (if you could call it that) was thinning out, first Roy, then the boys, and Lanie last, who was reluctant to leave.

"You two throw one hell of a party," she complimented the couple as they stood side by side.

"It was all Rick's doing, he planned the whole thing," Kate disclaimed.

"Yes, well Kate's the reason the place looks presentable," he disclaimed.

Inwardly, Lanie 'aww'ed.  
She was secretly a hopeless romantic.  
Well. Maybe not so secretly.  
She gave Kate one last knowing look that managed to say 'You better call me as soon as possible or I swear I will smack you' in a half of a second.

Kate send a 'I will, just chill out,' look right back.

Rick observed this eye conversation, lasting about a whole two seconds, but said nothing. They returned to the kitchen after bidding her farewell to find the apartment a mess. Martha had conveniently disappeared into her bedroom, seeing the time as opportune to go to bed. That left Kate and Rick to clean.

They did so, blowing out candles, collecting trash and dishes and food. Rick did the dishes by hand, as the dishwasher was full, and Kate dried. They worked in comfortable silence, him washing and she drying, until Kate spoke.

"This was fun," she said.

"It was definitely fun," he agreed, handing her a plate.

"We should do it again.

"We definitely should."

"I couldn't help but notice how it was all my friends," she observed.

"I like to consider them my friends, too."

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I mean-" she began, instantly feeling bad for how it sounded, but he cut her off.

"I know," he let out a light chuckle. "I thought about inviting Patterson, but he's funnier than me, and we couldn't have that," he told her, handing her a handful of forks.

"Funnier than you?" she asked, shocked. "I don't see how that could be possible!"

He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. She probably was, but he comforted himself by deciding she was not. "Hard to believe, I know." He handed her a cup. She smiled.

"Alexis was great," she said.

"Alexis is always great. Did you see the Captain's face when she kicked his ass at Guitar Hero? Priceless!" Kate laughed and nodded. "I'd count tonight as a success," he told her, after another lull in the conversation.

"And it's not even over yet," Kate told him. A sly smile crept over his face as he realized that he had no more dishes to hand her. He retracted his hands, still covered In soap bubbled and snaked them around her waist, taking her by surprise, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder, fireman style. She tried to stifle her squeal of surprise and ensuing laughter as he lifted her, marching her out of the kitchen, through the living room, and into the bedroom.

**Sooooo? Smutty, this chapter, me thinks. And it wasn't even meant to go in that direction! I noticed I hadn't had any sexy scenes in a while, so I thought I'd treat you **** The longest yet, too! It's to make up for the slow update, for which I am sorry. I fear this story is coming to a close, my dear readers, there may only be a few more left! I think I will be wrapping it up in the next two or three chapters-but no worries! I have plenty of new ideas just begging to be written!**

**Please leave a review- tell me what you loved, tell me what you didn't love so much. What should I do more of, what should I do less of? Your feedback is the only indication I get, so do not think I exaggerate when I say it means the world to me!**

**Oh and one last note- I made a YouTube video, just for you guys. There is even a dedication for ya :D Please check it out, .com/user/mjsofter  
and be sure to leave a comment (include who you are ****).**

**Love you guys.  
So so so so so so much.  
The button's below ;D  
sof 3**


	14. A Reprise

**Okay, here's to extra long author's notes.**

**  
Firstly, sorry for the delayed update. I wanted this chapter to be up last night but it just wouldn't cooperate. Hopefully it makes up in length.  
Secondly, sorry for last chapter's LAME title. It was late. I was tired. Wit is exhausting.  
Thirdly, love you guys for the reviews. As always.  
Fourthly (this is getting ridic, I know, I'm sorry) (again), I HATE this chapter. Hate it. I despise it. I really do. Sorry if it's not up to standards :/ AND I herby apologize for the typo's in the last chapter. Unacceptable. I will be more careful from here on out.  
Fifthly, there is no fifthly, I just like the number five. What a good, clean cut number. Alright, now that that OCD is out of the way, try really hard to enjoy this chapter.**

**

* * *

  
**

**A Reprise**

A month.  
She had been living with them for a month.

Comfortable.  
That's what she was.  
In the best way humanly possible.

Not always rays of sunshine-  
She was still Beckett, and lord knows he was still Castle.  
But petty arguments aside, things were good.

More and more of his faults became evident.  
He had a ton.  
The fact that she loved him for them,  
That became evident to her, too.

She loved him for it, she realized, as she was riding the elevator up to the 12th precinct. The 'him' at question was not accompanying her on this particular Friday morning, as he was caught up in the latest trials of detective Heat. But back to her first train of thought. Her mind forced a refocus on the fleeting word that had entered her mind without permission.

Love.  
She loved waking up with him beside her.  
She loved the feel of his warm, sleeping body during that one moment when she had awoken but he had yet to. She loved waking up said sleeping body. Violent methods used as needed, of course. She loved the way he snored, and the way he sometimes drooled a little on his pillow. How he read to her when she couldn't sleep.  
She loved him.

This dawned at her just as the lift creped past the 10th floor marker. She had known for months and months she cared about the man- his family, his life, him. But that word hadn't been spoken or thought. Did he love her? She had him pegged for the verbal type. He _was_ the verbal type. He talked and talked and talked. He would have told her by now if he did. Did he? She sighed, frustrated at herself, smashing the button with the letters B3 on them. To the morgue, it was.

* * *

Castle was at his desk, typing away. The words poured out o him with more ease than they ever had before. Derek Storm had never been this easy to write. Easy, yes, enjoyable, yes. Fun, even. But not this important, and definitely not this easy. Then again, he wasn't in love with Derek Storm. Maybe in the way a writer loves his creations, but not this way.

Love.  
There was that word again.  
It demanded the forefront of his attention, and forced him to pause his typing.

He did love her.  
Always knew it, too.

But the time was nearing.  
He had to tell her.

He had refrained for the obvious reasons. Kate was not the one to throw the word out lightly. No, there was great conviction there. Kate never did anything without careful consideration and forethought. And dropping that bombshell…that would scare her away for sure. But as of late it was getting harder and harder to suppress. There were close calls where the three words threatened to erupt, but he caught them last minute.

He had to tell her.  
If he didn't she wouldn't know.  
If he did she may get scared.

Ughh.  
He shut the top to his laptop and crossed his arms, frustrated.  
This was hard. Before he could dwell any farther on the fact, though, a flash of bright red in his peripherals got his attention. Alexis stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching him. Sadness tainted her beautiful features, breaking Rick up inside.

"Hey sweetie," he greeted. She walked towards him and let him hug her, planting a sideways kiss on her head. "What's wrong?" she just nodded into his chest as she held the embrace. "Anything ice cream sundaes can't fix?" he asked her. When he received only a sniffle in reply, he answered himself. "Who am I kidding? There is nothing an ice cream sundae can't fix!" and with that, his own worries forgotten, he pushed he backwards, still in a lopsided hug, sliding her along the hardwood until they reached the kitchen.

* * *

"You think you say _what_ now?" Lanie's voice echoed through the empty air of the morgue. Kate was sitting on the only vacant autopsy table, talking to Lanie as she worked. Kate let out another sigh and ran a hand through her hair.

"Love him," she repeated for what must have been the thirty millionth time.

"What?" she asked again, for what must have been the thirty-one millionth time.

"Lanie!"

"Of course you love him, honey, you're living with him, aren't you?"

"Yes…"

"You you do laundry together?"

"Yes…" Kate was now thoroughly confused at Lanie's method of questioning. However unorthodox, Kate would put money on her in an interrogation room. Lanie could annoy, pressure and confuse answers out of anybody.

"Then it's _obvious_, isn't it?"

"I fail to follow your logic," Kate admitted.

"You do _laundry_ together," she said again, making Kate feel like a stupid child. "It means something." Instead of fighting her friend's hypothesis, Kate continued.

"Why hasn't he said it? he seems like the type of guy who would say it," she said, letting worry seem into her words. Too much worry, probably.

"He loves you too much," Lanie reasoned.

"So you're saying he loves me so much he can't tell me he loves me?" Kate asked, completely bewildered.

"Exactly."

* * *

"So are you going to tell me or am I going to have to facebook stalk you to find out?" Castle asked. They were settled at the kitchen bar, both snacking on masterpieces that were chocolate sundaes. Alexis's tears had dried up and the puffiness around her eyes was dying down, but she was obviously still upset. Trying to be gentle rather than prying as he wanted to be, he took his usual Castle-method.

She cracked a small smile at her father's antics.  
He could always make her smile.

"It's just drama at school, it's nothing important," she shrugged it off.

"What's his name? I'll beat him up for you," Castle swore.

"No, dad, not a boy. Just Paige," she let out a sigh.

"You can tell me anything, you know," he promised, earnestly. He hoped she knew how much he meant that.

"She went out with some college guys- some of the high school grads from last year that she knew. She went out all last night to a bunch of Frat parties," she spilled.

"Well that's poor decision making on her behalf, but why has that got you all upset?" he asked, once again being gentle.

"She told her mom she was over here. She didn't even tell me!" Of course, it was no big deal to him. But to Alexis? Talk about the utmost betrayal. "And now I feel guilty for being a part of her big lie, and I want to tell her mother but if I did, Paige would never ever _ever_ talk to me again, and I just don't know what to do!" She said, the last bit rolling out so fast he had barely had a chance to register it all. He reached out a hand, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Oh Lex," he cooed, softly, pulling her into another hug. "It's alright. It's my problem now, alright? Now it is in the hands of the grownups, and whatever does or doesn't happen, whomever tells or doesn't tell on whom, it is officially out of your control," he assured her.

"You will tell her parents for me?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I might," he told her. "But you just know I plan to. If I forget, that's to no fault of your own."

"Thanks, Dad," Alexis told him. Meaning dripped from her words as she released him and sat back in her chair, helping herself to her ice cream. "So you going to tell me about your problems, or do you want to drool over how _hot _Justin Beiber is?" she asked him, knowingly.

"First of all- ew. He's like eight. Secondly, it's…"

"If you say complicated I will smack you," Alexis cut him off. He smiled at her again.

* * *

"Lanie, it's just-"

"If you say complicated, I_ will _smack you," Lanie cut her off. "Just tell him. It's not that hard. Three words. Three little, itty-bitty words."

"It's not that simple, Lanie. Those words mean something to me."

"It meant something to me when I helped haul all your stuff across town to his apartment. Would you seriously do that if you didn't love him? Do you seriously think I'd let you if I didn't know you did?"

"But what if he doesn't-" again, Lanie cut her off.

"Do you think he would let you anywhere near Alexis if he didn't?" she had a point.

"No but-"

"No buts girl. Did you come down here to be convinced to tell him, or did you come down here to ask me to drop a hint?"

"No! Don't call him, don't you dare!" Lanie just smiled mischievously.

* * *

"You need to tell her," Alexis decided, after a mere second of thought.

"But-"

"No buts, Dad, you need to. She needs to know. I know, Grams knows, the whole precinct knows. She needs to hear it. From you."

"My sultry voice is very appealing, isn't it?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Tell her," she told him again, ignoring his fictitious ego. "Tonight. I will be out of here- Grams is taking me to see that play, remember?"

"You're going to see C. Zeta Jones live without me?" he asked, appalled. She nodded.

"Take her out. Tell her," Alexis made him swear.

"How did you get so smart?" he asked her, tousling her hair, lovingly.

* * *

He picked her up from the precinct. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one. She didn't put up much of a fight, the paperwork stacked on her desk not providing much of an argument, and let him whisk her away. They caught a cap and somehow, they ended up at the diner.

Two Swiss mushroom burgers and two tall glasses of soda were ordered. The waitress smiled, knowingly, taking their orders and leaving them to each other.

Kate looked at him, sideways, smiling at him as he hid behind his menu. "What?" she asked him, shyly. He shook his head.

"Nothing," he told her.

"Your being all quiet," she told him. It was making her nervous.

"You're beautiful," he told her, after a moment. He would do that- randomly tell her that. After a day like hers-the ones where she was going from five am to midnight, where she looked like hell and felt like hell, it was nice. As much as she denied it even to herself, she needed to hear it. He seemed to sense that. She just blushed, looked away and said nothing.

He had thought about bringing her to Tramonti's, but decided against it. It was a special place, but they shared it with Alexis. The diner was just their place.

"I need to…" he began, but stopped suddenly, unhappy with his opening. "I've been meaning…" again, he stopped. He was stumbling over his words, they came out in all the wrong order, and so he gave up. She looked at him oddly but said nothing. The waitress dropped off their food, and they ate. Lame talk of her day ensued, followed by his, then Alexis's troubles.

"Let's walk," Rick told her, when they had left the diner. Kate retracted her arm from the air and wrapped it around his, puling herself into his body. Déjà vu struck again. She smiled at the memory."What are you smiling about?" he asked her, quietly.

"Memories," she mumbled back. He nodded. He was hit by the same wave of reminiscence. They walked, up about four blocks before he mustered up the courage to tell her. At the white walking man on the light disappeared and a red hand replaced it. Rick reached out and grabbed Kate's arm, pulling her back on to the curb and right into him.

"I-" he began, with every intent to tell right, right there. This was it, there was no going back.

"I love you," she told him. It was barely a whisper, but the force of his pull put her lips right by his ear and he caught it. He was momentarily stunned. Words, he reminded himself. Use your words.

"I love you too," he told her, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth, before lowering it on to hers in what was possibly the longest, most passionate kiss they had ever shared. She held his face, not wanting the moment to end.

But oxygen.  
Damned oxygen.

They broke apart, desperate for it. She smiled, shyly, biting her lip to keep the idiotic smile off her face. Rick didn't even bother trying, just pulling her closer into his side and wearing it with pride.

_He was going to have to tell her that more often_, he thought. Yes, more often.  
Every day. In the morning, at night. When they hung up the phone. _Yes. More of that_, he vowed.

Love. Kate thought to herself as they walked. It felt good to proclaim such things. To just say it. She was going to have to try it more often.  
And she had one writer in mind.

* * *

**I fear this may be the end! There is always a chance for additional chapters or even a sequel, should I feel so moved. I think the ending is hideous, so there is a good chance I will try to correct this with another, but for now I have new fics begging to be written. **

**Please please please leave a review, they thrill me so.  
And look out for more of my fics, because I for sure can be seen, right under category Castle! :D**

**Love you guys, thanks for staying with me through my first ever fic!  
Gahh I should stop before I get all mushy and sentimental.  
Stay awesomesauce, guys.  
Love,  
sof**


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